Vengeance
by AlyDarkAngelYanna
Summary: Death. It is something painful even when it happens peacefully; but for one Uzumaki Narumi, whose family had been taken from her right before her eyes, it has become her life. She had one target in mind, the man who had taken everything and everyone dear to her. She had plans. What happens to those plans when she meets a certain man?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Because I'm inspired, I decided to start another story. **

**This will be the only disclaimer you'll find: I don't own Naruto. I just borrowed the characters to fit my story. **

**I hope you guys like it. **

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_My heart pounded in my chest as I hid in the hallway closet. I listened to the gunshots, the terrified screams of my friends and family and the commanding shouts of the offenders. It was New Year's Eve and we had been celebrating when all of a sudden, a hail of bullets came from nowhere and people started dropping like flies. Then, there was chaos. People were running here and there, desperate for shelter. Their screams echoed against the walls of the dance hall where the ball was taking place. I was rooted to my spot, fear clutching at my heart as I watched the melee. _

_Then, I saw my grandmother fall. Her lilac dress billowed around her as she fell, her white hair cascading past her face as it twisted in pain. Then, she was gone, lying in a pool of her own blood in the middle of the dance floor. That's when I ran. She had mouthed, "Run!" as she fell and that single word broke me from my trance. I ran into the nearest hiding place I knew, which happened to be the hall closet right across the living room, all the while worrying about my immediate family, hoping that they got into the panic room in time._

_I pushed myself to the back of the closet and in my panic left the door slightly ajar. The screams raged on, the angry shouts of the attackers never ceased and the rain of bullets was unstoppable. I listened, breathing harshly, to the 'ping' of metal on metal or the sickly sound of metal hitting flesh. There were crashes everywhere as the attackers ransacked the house. Vases, mirrors and windows shattered under the force of the pelting bullets while the people continued to plead for mercy, to be left alive. Their begging was futile and was answered either by another bullet or the rambunctious laughter of their captors._

_I recalled what I saw while I ran for cover. Broken glass, dismantled furniture and dead bodies littered the place. Everything was scattered everywhere. There was so much blood. There was blood on the floor, pools of it. The walls looked like they had naturally been painted red; even the ceilings had the crimson liquid splattered all over them. I ran through the dance hall, past my dead friends, past my defiled family members, past all the destruction all the while hoping that I would survive this. My thoughts were cut short when I heard more screaming from the living room followed by the harsh voices of the invaders._

_I edged closer to the door, my hand clamped over my mouth as I tried to stifle my breathing. My heartbeat pounded in my ears as I got closer to the gap in the door. I was able to get so close that I could peek through the small gap. What I saw left my blood cold. _

_There in the middle of the living room, my friends and family were tied up. The males were separated from the females but there were no children. I wondered what happened to them. Everyone I saw was not my immediate family, they were cousins, aunts and uncles but they were all dearly loved. I feared for my friends especially my best friend, Sakura and my other cousin Ino. There were no teens in the room. I couldn't find my mother either but my father was there._

'_They made it!' I thought triumphantly as I realized that my mom was in the panic room with my two month old baby brother. 'They're safe!' I thought once more. I almost laughed in a mixture of emotions but quickly stopped myself. My victorious feeling was suddenly washed away when I heard distinct female screams from the second floor of the house. There were three different voices screaming for help and to be left alone. Their voices were followed by multiple crashes and then there were consecutive thuds. _

_Heavy footsteps fell on the stairs followed by the thump of something being dragged. I waited with baited breath for the people to come into my field of vision but what I saw made me regret peeking through the door. There were three men dressed in black with ski masks and automatic guns strapped across their backs; they were dragging my mom, my cousin Ino and my best friend Sakura by the hair. All three women were desperately trying to break free from their grasps but their attempts were futile. They had bruises all over their bodies; Ino had a cut lip while Sakura had a black eye. My mother was in worse shape; her right arm was bent at an awkward angle, her knee was bleeding and she was coughing up blood. They were dragged in kicking and screaming then unceremoniously dropped onto the living room floor right in front of the others. _

"_Hey boss," a gruff voice said. The man who spoke was tall with wide shoulders and what looked to be a tattoo on his neck. "Look what we found." He said, pointing to the three women on the floor. "Can we play with them?" he asked, shooting Ino a lecherous grin._

"_Do what you want," he hissed. He reminded me of a snake and I knew I would never forget his voice or the way he licked his lips with his freakishly long tongue. _

_All eight men, besides the boss, turned to the three women on the floor. They walked up to them like predators to their prey. More screaming ensued; the men shouted threats at the offenders while the women merely sobbed and looked away. Three men approached Ino. One of them picked her up as if she was a ragdoll then tore up her dress, revealing everything that was hidden underneath. She could do nothing but scream as the man plunged roughly into her, her eyes wide open while the other two found other 'playthings' with other parts of her body. Sakura was being stalked by two men. One of them grabbed her waist and pushed her roughly on the floor so that she was lying prone. He pushed up her skirts and tore her panties off before taking her in front of everyone. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as the other man tore open her blouse and grabbed her breasts, roughly squeezing and then he bit her nipple making her whimper in pain. My mother was the captive of the other three men. They tore off all her clothes and defiled her body in every way possible. I couldn't look away as their eyes fell on me and they all mouthed, "Help me."_

A flash of kunai and I was back in reality. There was the familiar 'ping' of metal on metal as I deflected the knife thrown at me. Gunshots ensued and I dived under a large wooden table just in time to hear the bullets lodge into the thick wood. I forced myself to remain calm even as another hail of bullets came my way. The meager light reflected on something and I let another kunai fly from my fingers. The man lay dead, a large rifle in his arms, the knife stuck on his neck. I had practiced countless times, on practice dummies and sometimes on small animals and I knew that my skills had been honed to perfection. Years of planning and it has finally come to fruitition. I almost laughed as another one fell with a shuriken to the temple. I continued to run, directly to the place where I knew the leader, the one at fault, was hidden.

I ran past door after door, taking out enemies and anyone else who got in my way. The adrenaline coursed through me and I knew nothing could stop me. Five years, it took me that long to track him with only his voice and a part of a tattoo to lead my way but I strived. I had to kill him to get vengeance for my family, I needed him out of my way so I could protect my baby brother. I wouldn't let him anywhere near us. I finally stopped at the end of the hallway, the door was marked _Orochimaru, Sannin_ and I knew I had found the place. Pushing open the door, I was hit with a stench a weaker man would've fainted from; but I wasn't weak, neither was I a man. I walked through the spacious laboratory barely looking at the large tubes that held human experiments.

"Welcome to my lab," the voice sizzle and crackled through the intercom but I recognized it.

"Show yourself Orochimaru!" I shouted, my voice echoing across the dark room. The lights on the large tubes gave an eerie aura towards the lab but I didn't care. I had a mission.

"I would like to know who you are," his voice sounded so much like his namesake, I knew he had done something to himself. "You attack my lab and demand that I come out to see you. How rude!"

"Where are you, you slithering snake?" I walked farther into the darkness, my senses hyperactive as my eyesight adjusted to the dim lighting.

"What a tongue you have," I can hear the smirk in his tone. "This has been fun but I'm afraid I must go. I shall leave you to the hands of my right hand man."

"I don't wanna play with your bitch Kabuto," I spat. "I want only you Orochimaru."

"I'm afraid I can't honor that request." he said. "Kabuto, take good care of our guest."

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama."

"I will find you," I swore, his maniacal laugh reverbrating through the speakers. "I think you should reintroduce her to her friends."

"Understood Orochimaru-sama."

"Naru," there was a small wheezing voice from somewhere within the darkness. I recognized it but I couldn't pinpoint who it was. "Get out of here." the warning came only a few seconds early. I had to dive out of the way as something large and heavy barreled its way to me. "Get out of here Narumi!" the voice was a gargle even as another being stepped its way into the meager ight.

"Juugo," my eyes widened and I clutched a hand to my mouth as I stared at his horrid form. His body seemed to have been made from something hard, his eyes flicking back and forth from its normal orange color to something of an eerie yellow and he had both hands on his head as if he was trying to fight whatever it was that was contolling him.

"Narumi," he was behind me lying face first on the floor, long gray hair looking too dark for my liking. "Y-y-you have to get out."

"Kill her!" I could hear Kabuto's voice but I didn't pay any attention to him, instead I focused on my fallen friend.

"What happened to you?" I began to approach him.

"Stay away!"

"Kimimaro, I want to help."

"Remember what you promised?" he began to rise, his bones making strange cracking noises, his back seemed to be boiling.

"What are you talking about?"

"The night I last saw you," he'd become more forceful as he stared straight into my clear blue eyes. "That night when we accepted this mission I made you promise something."

"Aaaargh!"

"Juugo's losing control," Kimimaro continued. "Tell me what you promised to do if we ever got caught."

"I said I'd kill you."

"Now's the time Narumi," he said just as his bones emerged from his back, tearing tissue and sending blood everywhere. There was another scream of pain behind me and I knew I was trapped. I turned slightly away from Kimimaro so I could look Juugo in the eye.

"Kill her!"

"Please," the orange haired, gentle giant I used to know begged even as his eyes lost their focus, his pupils dilated and he finally lost control of himself.

"H-h-h-his w-w-weakness is in his n-eck," Kimimaro was already losing himself. "M-m-my," I had to jump back from the large, gray arm that had been slammed in front of me and I knew I had lost them. My friends, my partners and my brothers had been taken from me by the same man who took away my family. I launched a kunai to distract him as I tried to buy some time to devise a strategy. Suddenly I find myself in some hidden corner of the laboratory, far enough that they can't locate me but close enough that I can hear them destroying the surrounding area as they looked for their prey.

"_Narumi if anything happens, you have to promise me that you will take care of it."_

"_Nothing's gonna happen. We'll get him before he can do anything else." _

"_Promise me." I had never seen Kimimaro so angry, so desperate. He had always been peace loving and stayed away from arguments. He would always let me win. _

"_I promise I'll take care of it." this was one argument he wouldn't give me. _

"_If it comes to it, promise me you won't hesitate to take both of us out."_

"_Kimi-kun,"_

"_Promise me Rumi-chan," he wouldn't come close to me, neither would he let me embrace him. "I don't want to live the rest of my life as one of his watch dogs, a failed experiment." _

"_I promise," because I saw the fear in his eyes and because they reflected my own. "I promise." _

"I promise," I whispered into the silent room. _"It's too quiet... they found me!" _I launched three kunai towards the creatured barreling at me on my right, all knives lodging themselves in Juugo's neck. As he fell, I looked at him hoping for some kind of recognition but he was too far gone. His eyes glazed over and I knew he was gone. It took him that moment, that small amount of time to recognize that I wasn't paying attention and I paid dearly for it. I found three pieces of what seemed to be bone, stuck on the left side of my stomach, the pressure nearly pushing me over.

Kimimaro had something in his hand, a bone of some kind, it was long and thick at the end growing thinner at the tip. He seemed to be using it as a sword. He slashed at me and I barely had time to jump back from his bone sword. I stumbled over Jugo's fallen body, landing on the floor with a loud thump my legs over his arm, my elbows connecting to concrete floor painfully. Then there was a red light and the blaring of alarms, Kimimaro paused in mid-stride trying to make sense of the noise.

"Self destruct initiated. Countdown begins, two minutes til self destruct."

"Kuso!" I heard Kabuto curse but at the moment I was preoccupied, trying to find a way to take Kimimaro down while vaguely thinking of who could've set the lab to blow. I only had two minutes left.

"One minute and forty-eight seconds." less than two minutes. Frantic blue eyes searched for something, anything I could use to... there was movement underneath me. Juugo's arm moved and I looked over to find that he was staring me, his real eyes.

"Juugo-kun," I could only whisper.

"One minute and thirty seconds." he was trying to tell me something, his lips moving as he tried to mouth the words.

"What?"

"One minute and twenty-five seconds." the ignored the count down and focused on Juugo, Kimimaro was already upon me when I finally figured it out. _"Heart"_

"One minute and fifteen seconds," the count down continued.

"I'd love to stay and watch but I'm afraid I must go," Kabuto was speaking again. "Goodbye Narumi-chan. I hope we never see each other again." he was chuckling menacingly even as he turned the speakers off. The alarms continued to blare, the lights flickering around the room in a rhythmic motion.

"One minute and five seconds," I hadn't realized but my hand had already inched its way towards my weapons pouch and I held three slender needles within the gaps of my fingers. Senbon, the only weapon long enough to pierced through the heart and slim enough to pass through bone with minimal effort. I had trained myself along with others and I knew everything by heart. I'd began with unmoving subjects then with moving dummies before moving on to small animals. I could hit my target with my eyes closed for half a mile, a little more if I focus clearly. With no more time and space to spare I let them fly, the needles lodging in his sternum in a straight vertical line. I'd been trained to kill enemies but now I had to use them on my friends.

"Forty-eight seconds," it took too long, now I barely had any time to get out.

"Go!" Kimimaro whispered as he fell face first onto the floor. It felt so much like that time when Grandma Tsunade had told me to run and I found myself scrambling to my feet as I ran towards the nearest window I could find. I had no time to grieve, my first priority was to get out of there alive.

"Fifteen seconds," I was nearly there and I knew I couldn't stop, I'd have to break the glass with my body if I wanted to survive.

"Ten, nine, eight," the shattered pieces broke through my suit and pierced my skin but I didn't cry out. I reached behind me and pulled on a barely noticeable string that opened the gliders on my uniform's arms and legs. They had surprisingly not taken any damage.

"One." I was still too close to the building when it exploded, debris and burned metal showered all around me and I barely managed to escape. On my far left I saw something else floating on my peripherals, there was a parachute. It was way too dark for me to see who it was but one thing was for sure, he had been in the same place as I was. His chute caught on fire but luckily he was aleady closing in on the ground when it happened and I saw the person land safely albeit a bit hard. _"He has skills to land that far from the ground and not break anything. At least he's alive."_

The thought of my dead partners distracted me from thinking too hard about the man on the ground. I continued gliding through the night sky as I headed towards the direction of my vehicle. There were more plans of revenge clouding my mind.

He stared at the woman gliding above him silently praising her skills. She had managed to infiltrate the building and not be noticed until she was at the top floor and then she killed any and everyone who got in her way as long as they were enemies. Inside the snake's lab she had had to fight her own friends who had been experimented on and successfully killed them before getting out of the place. Even he had run when the countdown was up to one minute and yet she survived after jumping through a window at what he counted was ten seconds. _"Narumi," _he heard them and even Kabuto call her that through the speakers. Dark hair went up into its normal spikes as he removed his mask, red eyes with swirling commas trying to focus onto the woman's form as she disappeared through the treetops.

"Wolf are you there?" his radio crackled, taking his attention away from the thoughts of the unknown woman. Ruby orbs turned onyx before he answered.

"Roger, Wolf here." he began to walk into the surrounding woods. "What's up command?"

"What the hell happened, Sasuke? We heard the explosion and then nothing. Where's Orochimaru and Kabuto?"

"I'm fine Shikamaru," he appeased the worried tone in his commander's voice. "The lab's self destruct sequence had been initiated. Orochimaru left about an hour ago, Kabuto just before the lab exploded."

"Where are you?"

"I'm on my way to the car."

"Alright, get back to the HQ, we have to find that slippery bastard again."

"Roger that," he said. "Oh and Shikamaru, I think you'll be interested to know that there was someone else there."

"What are you talking about?"

"There was a woman in the lab and she managed to get in there before I could. It seems she has issues with Orochimaru as well."

"What does this have to do with our mission?"

"I think we can use someone like her."

"What does she look like? Do you have a name so we can see if we can find her?"

"I don't know what she looks like, she was wearing full armor and a mask, a fox mask. But her name's Narumi."

"Alright, I'll have her checked out." Shikamaru said. "Get back here and don't forget to drop by Karin's office to get checked up."

"Isn't Hinata around?" Sasuke asked as he climbed to his car only then noticing the pain around his body after he hit the ground with such force.

"She's busy. Go to Karin." then the line was off.

"Right boss." he said even though no one could hear him anymore. "Who are you Narumi?" he started his engine and drove away from the burning building.

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**So, tell me what you think ne?**

**Love lots, **

**Aly :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I'm so sad! I only had one review and about one hundred hits. But still here's the next chapter. **

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"What the hell happened to you?"

"Go get Konan-chan," imposing stature and deep dark eyes had the blue-haired man staring at the newcomer.

"Itachi, she's not in any trouble!"

"_Go get Konan-chan," _his tone was not to be argued with. "Go Suigetsu!" he barked just as I collapsed.

"Aniki," it was barely a whisper but I knew he heard me.

"Come on let's get you out of this outfit." he herded me towards the room we shared where he proceeded to take off the full body suit I had been wearing for the infiltration.

"Where's Kyuu?"

"I had him stay with Deidara," he told me as he had me sit down on the bed in my underwear. "I know you wouldn't have wanted him to see you like this." he inspected the wounds on my left side.

"They're gone aniki," I hissed when he poked the shrapnels of bone stuck in my body. "I had to kill them," I told him. "He did horrible things to them." I was crying by then. "He made them look like monsters."

"I know Rumi-chan," he said, cupping my face to look into my watery blue eyes. "We know where he is. We will get him but you have to get your strength back."

"I'll kill him." I repeated over and over again. "I'll kill him."

"I know you will," he kissed my forehead just as our blue-haired medic entered the room. "I know you will." there was a sudden prick on my arm and then I was off into dreamland.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

They stared at her sleeping form, Itachi's gaze roaming over the bruises and scratches on her tan skin. It had taken an hour before Konan could remove the bone stuck in her abdomen but she was successful in her endeavor to take them out.

"She's fine Itachi, she's a strong young woman."

"She had to kill Juugo and Kimimaro," he informed their group's medic. "She had to take her own 'brothers' out because they asked her to."

"Itachi~"

"That snake has done too much to her and yet she strives to kill him." he sighed deeply. "Other people would just give up and hide, pray that he won't find them again."

"Narumi doesn't have that luxury." Konan reminded him. "Kyuu's only five and he doesn't even know what's going on. She wants to protect him the way she couldn't protect the rest of their family. It's nothing different from what you're doing to protect Sasuke."

"At least she's succeeding," he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Sasuke has joined the very organization I had been hoping to keep him away from."

"Because you didn't tell him what you were doing."

"I know that. How long before Kyuu decides to do that very same thing? If something happens and Rumi needs to kill Kyuu I know she won't."

"He has a long way to go before he could even think that way," she placed a hand on his shoulder as she rose from the bed. "She'll wake up in a few hours with a migraine and she would be sore all over so I suggest keeping her in bed for two days at least. I'll come check on her later."

"Thank you Konan-chan," he didn't look at her, just continued to stare at the wall across from him.

"Get some rest Itachi," she all but ordered as she stepped out of the room.

"Aniki?" red slitted eyes peeked through the slightly ajar door, their owner hesitant to enter the room.

"Kyuu, where's Dei-chan?"

"Nee-chan fell asleep," he said as he stepped into the room. "Is Narumi-nee alright?"

"She's fine," Itachi told him as he motioned for the boy to close the door and come to him.

"What happened to her?" he was pulled onto his older brother's lap, inquisitive ruby orbs meeting contemplative onyx.

"She got a little hurt on her last mission."

"Aniki, what does she do?"

"She doesn't want you to know yet."

"But I wanna know!" the pout and the whine reminded him that he was only talking to a young boy.

"Why don't you sleep with us tonight? I'm sure she'd like you to be here in the morning."

"Are you sure?" he brightened considerably. He hadn't slept with them in what seemed like a long time because nee-chan always had missions and she didn't want him to see her when she got back.

"Of course," Itachi's soft smile of reassurance was all it took for the boy to believe him. "I'll check on Dei-chan then I'll come back alright?"

"Okay!" Kyuu chirped as he scrambled off Itachi's lap and onto the bed.

"Stay on the right side," Itachi said as the redheaded boy slipped under the blanket to snuggle with his older sister.

"Good night aniki," he mumbled sleepily and with a final yawn he was asleep.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

My head hurt. That was the first thing I registered when my consciousness came back to me. My body was sore. The second thing that came to mind. I was surrounded. That was the third thing I noticed as I struggled to open my eyes. On my left I knew it was Itachi-nii, he always slept with his arm around me and on my right it couldn't be anyone but Kyuu.

"Are you finally awake?" his voice was deep, rasping with sleep and I knew if I didn't see him as my brother I would definitely fall in love with him.

"What happened?" my own voice was husky as I asked.

"Konan-chan had to sedate you before she could take off the bones," he informed me. We still hadn't gotten up neither had we opened our eyes. We just lay there talking.

"So what's the plan now?"

"We wait for you to recover before trying to come up with another plan," he told me.

"How long?"

"Two days in bed, one week out of missions," he said quietly waiting for the upcoming protest. I would have but at the moment I felt tired.

"Maybe I should kill Konan-chan," I muttered in frustration. I had failed my last mission and I wanted to try again, I had only gotten back the night before and yet I was itching for a fight.

"Why don't you spend time with Kyuu?" aniki suggested. "You've been way too busy these past months and he keeps asking me questions I don't know how to answer."

"You sound like a husband berating his wife to spend time with their son."

"More like a father ordering his stubborn daughter to spend time with her younger brother."

"Oh please," I snorted. "You don't look like my father."

"I certainly feel like it," he said.

"Shut up," I attempted to hit him but he caught my hand. "When are you going to settle down aniki?"

"Maybe when I find the woman~"

"You talk as if you think I don't know about you and your 'secret'."

"Narumi~" he was mad, I knew he was.

"The whole Akatsuki knows about you and Dei-chan," I told him. "Even Sasori, Kyuu and Gaara know about it."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" I could hear the exasperation in his voice.

"What's the point? We knew you didn't want us to know anyway."

"How did the triplets find out?" he asked. Even the others didn't know how the three children found out about their secret relationship, suffice it to say, the three redheaded kids told the other adults they trusted only me.

"It's a secret that nee-chan promised she would never tell anyone!" twin voices shouted from the doorway as the door itself swung on its hinges to slam into the wall.

"Gaara, Sasori, you're way too hyper this morning," I greeted the twin Sabaku redheads. When I escaped from our villa, hours after Orochimaru and his men raided it, I stumbled upon the house where the Akatsuki stayed. They took me in and at the age of fourteen, I learned how to kill. My determination and will led me to become one of their strongest members in only two years, their name protecting me and my baby brother from outside influence as I joined their cause: to kill Orochimaru. "Why is Kyuu still sleeping?" the stared at the youngest to complete the their trio. The two had quickly taken a liking to Kyuu and they adopted each other.

"He went to bed late last night."

"But Dei-chan had him in bed by eight!" Gaara protested, teal eyes twinkling in wonder.

"Well she fell asleep before he did." Itachi-nii said as he rose from beside me. I whined at the loss of his body heat.

"Maybe you should check on her," I said. "These past few days I've seen her talk to Konan-chan a lot more than they usually do."

"You don't think something's wrong with her do you?"

"Of course not, it's just she's been sleeping a lot and when she wakes up she's still tired not to mention she's too quiet these days."

"Naru," onyx met cerulean and I could see the moment he realized what I was trying to say.

"You two keep an eye on Narumi-nee," he slipped a shirt on as he ordered at the two seven year olds. "Make sure she doesn't get out of bed," I rolled my eyes as the twins gave a loud "Hai!"

"I'm not going anywhere," I told him and as I tried to prove my point, I snuggled further into my baby brother's warmth and closed my eyes.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

"I'm sorry Sasuke," he was a big man with short brown hair and kind eyes. "There's just nothing popping up about this woman."

"There has to be something," Sasuke insisted. It had been two months since their encounter and he had yet to find anything about the mysterious woman that had triggered his interest.

"I'm sure there is," Chouji said, his tone placating. "But with the little information we know about her we can't find anything else. Maybe if we had more than just her name."

"Damn it!" he slammed his fist into the wall, his frustration overtaking rationality. "I'll do it myself," he stormed out of the room leaving a gaping audience behind him.

"What's gotten into him?"

"Troublesome," their captain muttered. "He's fallen for someone he doesn't even know."

"That can't be true!" the loud screechy voice of the redhead made their ears ring. "Sasuke-kun only loves me!"

"Give it a rest Karin, the guy doesn't like you." with his shaggy brown hair, slitted brown eyes and elongated canines, he looked almost like an animal.

"No one asked you mutt!"

"Karin-san please stop it." gentle voice, bluish-black hair and lavender eyes had them all turning to Hinata. "Sasuke-kun just wants to know about this woman."

"No he doesn't!" Karin snapped. "Why would he want to know anything about some bimbo?"

"He's definitely interested," Kiba muttered.

"Shut up dog breath!" she screeched one more time.

"I thought I told you to stop." the chilling voice and the cold steel on her neck had her frozen on the spot. "I am sick and tired of your whining. You do nothing but try to get Sasuke-kun's attention even when you know he doesn't want you." the usually calm and collected heiress's tone had shivers going up through everyone's spines. "He has told you time and time again that he doesn't like you in any way so either stop stalking him or I will kill you right where you stand."

"You can't kill me, I'm the best medic there is!" she was indignant even as the sword was pressed tighter to her neck, drawing blood as it did.

"Have you forgotten who taught you?"

"I have surpassed you!" the men around the room smirked at the women in the center.

"If you think so then you wouldn't have a problem with fighting me."

"Of course not!"

"But of course we need rules and a referee."

"I'll call Kakashi-taichou," Chouji volunteered.

"You're only doing this because you want Sasuke-kun to yourself." Karin sneered.

"If you say so Karin-chan," Hinata replied. "First rule, when I win you leave Sasuke-kun alone."

"What do I get if I win?"

"I'll give you anything you want," Hinata whispered menacingly in the other woman's ear. "Anything at all. If it is physically available in this world then I will give it to you." Shikamaru's smirk widened at Hinata's tactic. "You want jewels, money, fame and even Sasuke-kun. I'll let you have anything you want."

"What's the second rule?" Karin asked, her eyes twinkling with the thoughts of the woman's promise.

"This will be a no holds barred fight. To the death." she then left the room, Karin with widened eyes, Kiba and Shikamaru smiling fiercely at the redhead.

"You better get ready four-eyes," Kiba taunted the frozen woman. "You wouldn't want to lose your chance to be with Sasuke forever, do you?"

"I will kill the Hyuuga princess!" she announced, her voice shaky and a little frightened.

"We'll see," Kiba left the room, Shikamaru on his tail leaving a scared woman in their wake.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

"Sasu-kun," she called out to the man slouched in front of an open laptop, his head in his hands as frustration radiated from him. "Why are you sulking?"

"I don't understand it."

"What exactly is it that you don't understand?"

"Why does this bother me so much?"

"What?"

"Why do I seem to _need_ to know about this woman? I don't even know her full name or what she looks like!"

"Calm down Sasu-kun," Hinata put a hand on her long time friend's shoulder. "You can figure it out."

"I can't Hina!" he whirled round in his swivel chair making her stumble. He caught her in his arms and let her sit on his lap. "It's been two months and I can't forget. I've been trying to figure out why I want to know more about her." she kissed his head before answering.

"Did you ever think it was because no other woman has ever caught your attention like this?" she asked. "Maybe it's because every other woman you've met besides me has tried to throw themselves at you and that in itself has led you to stop paying attention to them."

"But why is it that I feel as if I _need_ to know more about her?"

"It's not that you need to know about her, more like you want to know about her."

"Why?"

"She's a woman," Hinata continued at his glare. "I think she didn't even know you were there. She didn't pay attention to you because she had been busy trying to save her own life and your ego had gotten bruised because of it." his glare intensified but she merely giggled at him. "But most of all I think you were impressed by her skills and you may be doubting yourself because of what you've seen."

"I'm not!"

"Sasu-kun, I've known you since we were children. After Itachi-niichan left you felt betrayed and you wanted to get stronger so you could get him back. We both still have no idea why he just left but you've spent your whole life training to get stronger so you can help him with whatever it is he needed to do."

"I want him dead!"

"No you don't," she embraced him tighter. "You want him back. You can't hide this from me Sasu-kun."

"What does this have to do with the woman?"

"You saw in her what you think you should see in yourself," she told him. "Power."

"How do you know?" his onyx eyes were swimming with confusion as he stared back into her lavender ones.

"I've known you for a long time," she once again reminded him. "If our parents have gotten their way we would be married to each other now. There are some things in life that you need help with and you know I won't interfere unless you ask." she paused as if she remembered something. "Except when it comes to your stalkers." she blushed and turned away from him.

"Hina-chan, what did you do?"

"Nothing~"

"It's Karin isn't it?"

"I challenged her to a duel," she admitted after a pregnant pause. "If she wins, I'll give her anything she wants."

"And if you win?"

"Then there's nothing to worry about because she'll be dead."

"First blood?"

"No holds barred."

"You're going to decimate her."

"She's annoying and she causes you to frown!" he could just hear the pout in her voice and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Is my Hina-chan jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous of that red haired harpy?"

"You know no one will ever replace you, even if I do find this woman."

"Ha I knew it!" she turned back to him. "You've fallen in love with her skills but what about the actual person?"

"Maybe we'll get to that bridge and then I'll cross it." he told her. "Now why don't you go find your fiance?"

"Why should I? Shino-kun knows I won't cheat and he knows you won't even try. If I were with Kiba on the other hand..." she trailed off letting him understand what she meant.

"I know but I would like to be alone now and I was trying to be polite." he said with a small but cheeky smile.

"Oh fine!" she stomped to her feet. "I'll leave!"

"Hina-chan," she turned to see a gentle smile on his previously teasing visage. "Thank you."

"No problem," she grabbed the doorknob before turning back to him and saying, "Don't miss my fight okay? Tomorrow the world, and you, will have one less fan girl to deal with."

"I'll be there." the door closed leaving him alone in his room once more. "Narumi, who are you?"

* * *

**AN: Please R&R because I wanna know what you guys think about this story of mine. I don't write long ANs because hardly anyone ever reads it but I really want to have people talking to me about my stories. So please, please, please review?**

**Love lots, **

**Aly**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: So sorry it took so long but I've been busy with exams.. Here it is anyway. **

* * *

"Do you think she'll actually kill Karin?"

"Of course she will," Kiba answered as he and their friends sat around the dojo along with the many other agents who wanted to see the ultimate fangirl dead. "The pain in the ass has been alive way too long."

"Mendokusei," another voice said. "Karin was dead the moment she accepted the challenge."

"She's still valuable to us."

"I hope you mean Hinata, Chouji," Kiba said. "I hope she doesn't get too hurt."

"Of course I meant Hinata!" the large man said as the two women finally entered the dojo on separate sides both with their own band of supporters following them.

"What did I miss?" they turned to find a brown haired man ambling up to them almost lazily, the excitement hidden behind pupil-less eyes betraying the emotionless mask he portrayed.

"Nothing," it was Kiba who answered.

"Guys look," Chouji's voice was shocked and slightly scandalised and the group turned to look back to where he was pointing. They stared at the woman who was in a passionate liplock with her fiance.

"I think Shino's really happy with Hinata," Neji commented. "Otherwise he wouldn't be kissing back."

"They're going to be married anyway," Kiba shrugged though he continued to stare. They could only watch as Hinata finally pulled away from her soon-to-be husband only to smile a teasing smile at their broody friend.

"She's certainly in a playful mood today."

"Mendokusei."

"Shikamaru, stop saying that. It's going to be fun for everyone to watch her decimate Karin!" Kiba slung his arm around the lazy man's shoulders as they watched Hinata plant a peck on Sasuke's cheek. "Who by the way is now seething with jealousy after that display." he directed their attention toward the other side of the room where Karin and her posse stood. The lead woman glared at their friend who on the other hand didn't seem bothered by the look directed to her.

"Now she'll be even sloppier than usual."

"I think that's the plan all along."

"Anyway we have to stop talking because Hinata's going to start ripping her apart."

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

"Make this quick Hina," Sasuke reminded. "I have somewhere to go to."

"I want to celebrate right after," Shino's deep voice had her staring at her fiance.

"What kind of celebration?" Hinata sidled over to him pressing her body close. She could feel the stares but she didn't care at the moment.

"The kind of celebration that both of us would very much enjoy," gone was the usual articulate person and in its place was a straightforward and blunt man. His hands roamed her waist as he pulled her closer to him, Sasuke rolling his eyes at the display.

"Okay, can you please stop that?" Sasuke finally got tired of the couple's affectionate display after two minutes.

"No need to be so jealous Sasu," Hinata said as she smiled teasingly at her dark haired best friend and brother. "This won't last long anyway." she kissed his cheek then turned to look at her opponent, or rather, her prey. "I'm just going to play with her for a little bit."

"Just hurry it up will you?" Sasuke muttered. "I have things to do."

"You mean you have a blonde to stalk?" she relished in the wide onyx orbs and the floundering mouth. "Yeah, there's a reason I'm your best friend. Let's not forget that, alright?"

"But, you..."

"Oh and by the way, you should try to close the page before you allow anyone inside your room." she sauntered off into the middle of the circle and smirked at her opponent. "What's wrong Karin, are you too afraid to face me?"

"You bitch!" the redhead ran headfirst toward Hinata, drawing her katana as she did. "I will win today and take Sasuke-kun away from you!" she swung but hit nothing but air.

"Careful Karin-chan, you might hurt yourself." the lavender eyed heiress taunted the already fuming redhead. She slashed the woman's back, the skimpy top Karin wore dropping to reveal a pink lacy bra. "Oh I'm sorry, is that for Sasuke-kun?" she asked just as Karin attempted to sweep her off her feet, Hinata simply back flipped to dodge. "I'm sorry Karin-chan, I don't swing that way." the smirk never left her lips as she stared at the panting woman.

"Sasuke-kun should be mine! He loves me!"

"Ne Sasu, is it true?" Hinata ignored her angry opponent and turned her attention to her best friend who stood next to her impassive soon-to-be husband. "Do you love her?" Sasuke shook his head before replying.

"No I don't Hina," he told the dark haired woman with a small smile. "How can anybody love her when you're in the room?" Chuckles rippled through the crowd at the banter.

"I love you too Sasu," she blew him a kiss and then dodged a punch. "So rude Karin-chan, you didn't even let him finish talking to me." she retaliated, her elbow finding its way into the other woman's stomach, her knee quick to follow breaking Karin's nose. "Does it hurt?" she put some distance between them as the other tried to catch her breath.

"He will be mine!" Karin screamed as she once more rushed Hinata. "And so will Shino-kun!"

"You never learn do you?" it was rhetorical and yet she wanted to ask. Silently, behind the cool and calm facade she was seething at the mention of the man she loved. "Sasuke has already said that he doesn't love you," she captured the outstretched arm and pulled it towards Karin's back, her own katana poised on the redhead's neck. "Sasu, can you tell her that you don't love her?"

"I've already told her Hina," Sasuke said his eyes widening slightly at the movement from Karin's group. "You know I don't like repeating myself."

"But she needs to hear it!" Hinata pouted at him noting the warning that was unnoticeable to everyone else. She spread her senses as she continued to talk. "Did you really think you could defeat me Karin?" she turned her attention back to her captive.

"I don't think," Karin replied even as she struggled to breathe. "I know I can," Hinata pushed her down onto the floor, her foot firmly on Karin's arm as she spun to catch the needles that were sent to pierce her neck. On the opposite side of the room the three men from Karin's group suddenly fell down all with kunai lodged in their throats, Hinata's arm still outstretched from the throw. "Poison," Hinata said as she turned her attention back to the fallen woman who was struggling to get out of her grip. "Smart but you forgot one thing," she knelt beside the redhead. "I'm the one who taught you everything you know." she stuck the needles onto Karin's neck. "I hope you chose one of the quicker poisons, otherwise you'll be having a long night." She rose from her position and turned her back on her opponent. "Kakashi-taichou, you're late again."

"You see there was this~"

"We don't need to hear it." Hinata told the man who emerged from the crowd and stared at the redhead writhing on the floor, still struggling to stand up.

"Did I miss the whole thing?" his nose was still stuck in his book even as he ambled closer to the women in the middle.

"Most of it," Hinata shrugged then turned her attention back to Karin who had finally been able to rise.

"You think you've won?" she gasped for air as she wobbled. "I don't think so. Sasuke-kun is mine!" she announced as she pounced on Hinata with a kunai on both hands. The weapons were slapped away as Hinata sent an open palmed hit on her chest.

"Goodbye Karin," it was followed by another, effectively stopping her heart. Hinata backed up and let Karin's body fall to the floor with blood coming out of her mouth. "You're on clean up duty taichou." Hinata said as she walked back to Shino and Sasuke.

"Hinata-chan~" Kakashi whined, his pleas ignored as the dojo slowly emptied of the occupants.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

"I'm going for a walk," Sasuke announced as he along with Shino and Hinata walked out of the dojo.

"You sure you're not going to look for a certain someone?" Hinata's voice was teasing.

"Let it go Hina," Sasuke turned to glare at the woman who was holding hands with her significant other as they walked.

"Sure Sasu, once I meet her then I'll let it go."

"I'll see you later Hina," he continued his walk without looking back. He weaved his way through the myriad of passages that surrounded the Konoha Underground Facility Headquarters, lost in thought about the woman he believed he had found. After he left the meeting room the past night, he went directly to his own room and used his clearance for a deeper search. He found one Narumi on record, Uzumaki-Namikaze Narumi was believed to have been killed in the Namikaze-Yamanaka-Senju purge five years ago but she was the only link he had to finding the woman who had fascinated him so. There was no one closer to this seemingly dead girl, but he didn't have any other choice. The story was buried in so much paperwork that it was difficult to find where the paper trail ended, truth be told he hadn't found it himself and this frustrated him to no end. He found himself narrowing his eyes at the glaring sunlight as he stepped out of the large building the HQ was hidden underneath. He continued to walk, not sure where he was going or what he wanted to accomplish after he found her, if he even would.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

"I'm taking the kids out to the park," her blonde hair was pulled up into a single ponytail as she packed a bag for things she might need.

"Do you want me to come with you?" his long dark hair billowed around his face like a halo as he lay on their shared bed.

"Why don't you keep an eye on Dei-chan?" she suggested. "She's so weepy these days, I think it might help if you were around her more often."

"We could come with you."

"Aniki, she needs to rest and I can take care of myself."

"You can take care of yourself but not when you have three children there."

"I'll bring Kankuro-nii with me then," Narumi sighed. "He just came back from a mission with Temari-nee."

"Where did they go?"

"I don't know the details but it was an assassination."

"Nagato-kun's really going all out."

"Aniki is trying to keep the money in the banks," she said. "What with Kakuzu being so obsessed with it and Kisame wanting to spend everything. It's driving him crazy."

"That sounds like them."

"Kaa-chan!" three red balls of energy barelled into the room and took her down onto the bed barely missing the Uchiha who had rolled to his side to avoid them. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!" they chanted as they surrounded her on the bed.

"Alright fine," she smiled happily at them. "Go get tou-chan."

"Who's our tou-chan?" they chorused.

"Kankuro-niichan," she smirked at the mischievous twinkle in their eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes really," her patronizing smile only seemed to encourage them more. "Now go get tou-chan and tell him kaa-chan is waiting."

"Hai!" the triplets hopped off the bed and raced out of the room to find their "tou-chan".

"Those three are good actors." Itachi commented as he rose from the bed.

"Yes well, I think it's become natural to them because of the many times we've gone out undercover."

"Just be careful." he reminded her.

"I will aniki." she promised as she kissed his cheek.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Sasori, Gaara and Kyuu ran past the door dragging a protesting Kankuro behind them.

"My children are here." she smiled teasingly at him.

"Just don't go too far into the character." he smirked at the slight green she developed on her face.

"Not with Kankuro-niichan that's for sure." she shook her head then slammed the door on her way out but not before hearing the low chuckle emitted by her elder brother.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

He found himself walking to the park, his feet leading him there without his consent. There were children playing around, their mothers sitting on the benches or on picnic blankets laid out on the grassy field. Onyx eyes surveyed the area for something that could catch their attention but so far, nothing has. He let himself walk over to a large oak tree and sat down in its shade. Surprisingly he was the only one who had gotten that idea. Soon he was dozing off with the gentle breeze lulling him to sleep. He was woken by joyous laughter, nothing unusual in a park filled with children but this seemed to be something else, or at least something about it had pulled his attention. Onyx eyes once more roamed over the expanse of green, searching for the source of the sound that had woken him.

They widened in surprise, the pupils swirling into three tomoes as the cornea turned red. He focused closely on the blonde woman sitting across him about ten feet away, long blonde hair tied up into a ponytail, crystal blue eyes narrowing as she laughed. He followed her gaze only to find that she was looking at three redheaded boys, his own orbs narrowed at the sight. Was she a mother already? The boys looked to be about four or five years old. He continued to stare unaware that he had been caught already.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

"Gaara-chan!" the youngest of the trio caught the attention of one of the twins. "That man's looking at kaa-chan weirdly!" he pointed to a dark haired man with strange red eyes and even stranger pupils that seemed to swirl as they stared at their "mother".

"What are we going to do?" Gaara bounced in his spot as he stared at Kyuu.

"Should we call tou-chan?"

"But he's buying our ice cream." Sasori protested.

"But that man's walking towards kaa-chan already." Kyuu pointed out just as their father appeared before them holding three cones of ice cream.

"What man?" he asked as them.

"That one," the three pointed towards the man who had been watching their mother before he seemed to decide whether or not he should approach.

"Alright boys," he lowered his hands so they could reach for their cones. "Let's go get your mother." he ushered them towards the blonde woman who seemed oblivious to the approaching man as she immersed herself in her book.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

She knew he was coming even though her face was buried in the book she had brought. She'd seen him as soon as they arrived at the park. She knew she didn't know him but there was something familiar about him. Her senses had been spread out, waiting for any disturbance in the air as she looked out for her "children" even without looking at them. She ignored his presence as he came even closer, instead focusing on the trio who were on their way towards her with their father trailing slowly behind, no doubt having seen the approaching man already.

"Kaa-chan, kaa-chan!" the three chorused as they ran to her, the ice cream cones in hand. "Tou-chan got us ice cream!" the announced as they scrambled to surround her on the picnic blanket. Kyuu sat on her lap, Gaara and Sasori taking their positions on either side of her as Kankuro ambled towards them.

"I told you not to get them sweets before dinner," she mock scolded her older brother, already in character as he walked around her to sit behind them.

"It's only today," he wrapped his arms around her, both legs on either side of her as he pulled her to his chest. They all knew that their unwanted guest was still watching so they kept on the show.

"If they don't eat their dinner, you're sleeping on the couch." she threatened without looking back at him as they waited for the other man's reaction.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

Sasuke froze in mid-step after hearing the kids call her "mother". It was impossible. If his research was true then she would only be eighteen and the boys looked to around five or six years old. She couldn't be their mother, she just couldn't. If that wasn't shocking enough, her "husband" came into view. He had dark brown hair and wore washed up jeans and a casual shirt. And the way he held her just screamed intimate, either that or they were very good actors. He spun around fuming, was she really the girl in the hideout or was he deluding himself?

"Uzumaki-Namikaze Narumi, who are you?"

* * *

**AN: So what did you think? Please tell me? *cute chibi face***

**Love lots, **

**Aly**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Here it is my dearest readers.. Sorry for the wait but I've been busy with exams and such nonsense. :)**

* * *

"Should I go get the car?" Kankuro asked gesturing towards the three little tots who had fallen asleep around them. It had been hours since the unknown man had tried to approach Narumi but they hadn't left the park. Soon it would be time for dinner.

"Please do," she told her brother. "I'm tired myself."

"Will you be okay?"

"Don't worry about me," she smiled at him as he rose from the picnic blanket. "We'll be fine."

"I'll be right back," he promised before finally leaving albeit reluctantly. She ran her hands through Kyuu's hair as she waited unaware of the eyes still on her.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

He watched quietly as she was left alone with the sleeping children pondering whether or not to approach her now that the coast was clear. He had left them alone, knowing that with the man around a confrontation wouldn't be too far away, and gone back to the HQ to look for Hinata. He had told her his predicament and she was only too happy to assist him.

"So are they still here?" his dark haired best friend asked as she slid into the seat next to him with two steaming cups of coffee. They had just arrived at the park and Sasuke had been hoping to everything he could think of that they hadn't left.

"Yeah," he nodded his thanks as she handed him one cup and then leaned over him to look out at the window and search for the mystery woman.

"Is she that blonde woman with the three redheaded children?"

"That's her."

"How do you know it's her?"

"I don't but when I look at her there's something familiar about her."

"Did you ever think that that's because you researched her life?"

"Yes Hina I did," he felt his frustration bubbling up to the surface. "But it's something more than that." he sighed deeply, running a hand through his dark locks.

"Don't worry too much Sasu," she kissed his forehead, a touch that could be easily miscontrued if the people who saw didn't know them. "Let's just enjoy the chase, shall we? With missions running low and the snake in hiding this could be the most fun we'll be having." she settled back into her seat and the pair sat in comfortable silence as they watched her "husband" come back to pick her and the children up.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

"We're being watched," Narumi told her brother as soon as he came back, their vehicle parked by the curb. "Or at least I am." he nodded as he reached for Gaara and Sasori, taking one child in each arm.

"Let's get to the car and hope we lose them."

"Why don't we go to dinner first?" they walked to the car where Kankuro put the two children in the back while Naru waited for him to open the passenger side door for her. "That way we won't take them back to the house."

"Where do you want to eat?" he asked her as she slid into her seat while juggling Kyuu in her arms. He stayed there, one hand on the open door, the other on the side of the car to brace himself as he stared at her while he watched the foreign car that housed their watchers from his peripherals.

"Surprise me," she smiled at him putting on a show for their audience. He laughed then kissed her cheek before closing the door. They pulled away from the park the other car following them albeit not too closely.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

Hinata watched as Sasuke's knuckles turned even paler as he gripped the steering wheel. Jealousy was an ugly thing and yet she could only smile because it seemed as if her 'otoutou' had finally fallen for someone. Too bad that someone seemed to already be involved with someone else and apparently has children with him. She touched his knuckles and they slowly relaxed until he exhaled.

"We're going to lose them if you don't start driving." she reminded him. He pulled out from his spot and following the car ahead of them with at least five other vehicles in between. He wanted to know if what he saw was real.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

"They're still following us," Naru reported as she glanced at the side mirror.

"Leave them be Naru," Kankuro told her. "I called Nagato and he said we could go straight over to the other house."

"We'll use the other one for cover?"

"Apparently he had sent Itachi and Deidara there because she was getting way too emotional to stay at the base."

"Her hormones are shot," she commented as Kankuro weaved in and out of traffic. "Probably because of her pregnancy."

"So where are we going to eat?" he asked again just as the rounded another corner that brought them into the heart of the city.

"Why don't we go to Ichiraku's?" she finally suggested. "I feel like eating some ramen." at the mention of the noodle soup, their three other passengers mysteriously awoke.

"I want miso!"

"I want beef!"

"I want everything!" their exclamations had the two adults chuckling.

"Ramen it is." Kankuro announced as he pulled into a parking lot in the basement of the Konoha Town Mall. The three children bounced in their seats but waited the door to be opened for them before zooming past both Kankuro and Naru and standing impatiently by the hood of the car.

"Ne, ne kaa-chan?" the overly curious voice caught their attention.

"Yes Kyuu?"

"Why is that man from the park following us?"

"He is?" she feigned interest as he started to point but then seemed to catch himself.

"He's in that big black car with the dark dark windows," he nodded and she could only smile. It seemed as if her little brother had inherited some of their mother's gifts, clearer eyesight in the dark being one of them.

"Don't worry about him Kyuu," she took his hand and Gaara's in the other as she led the way to the entrance of he mall. "Let's just eat okay?"

"I hope the ice cream didn't spoil your appetite," Kankuro smiled as he carried Sasori in his arms.

"No way!" the three chorused happily as the family walked into the establishment in search of their favorite restaurant.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

"Do you think he saw us?" Hinata asked as the parked quite a ways from the other vehicle.

"No, it's too dark outside and besides the windows are all tinted."

"Are you sure? It felt like he was looking straight at me."

"Calm down Hina, you're letting a child spook you."

"You're right," she finally relaxed in her seat. "So are we going to follow them or should we wait for them to come out."

"We're already here, we might as well get something to eat." he shrugged as he turned the ignition off.

"Are you asking me out to dinner Mr. Uchiha?"

"Why yes, yes I am." he matched her playful smile with one of his own and then got out of the car before proceeding to assist her out as well.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

I knew he was there, still watching me. I don't know why I caught his attention but he seemed determined to follow me. We had already finished eating dinner quite some time ago and I sat leaning against my "husband" as we watched our "children" play. He had brought someone with him, a woman with blue-black hair that reached to her back and pupil-less lavender eyes. She was beautiful and I wondered vaguely if they were together, they looked intimate enough, or if they were playing the crowd like me and my brother.

"Are they still here?"

"Yeah, he's still staring at me."

"Are you sure you don't know him?" Kankuro-nii asked me. "He's been fixated on you since we arrived at the park."

"I'm sure, if I had met him before I will remember him." I answered. "Although there's something familiar with him, I just can't point it out."

"Then what is going on?"

"I don't know, but we need to get home because aniki has called me for the thousandth time and asked where we are."

"What about them?"

"Let them follow, we can't do anything about that anymore. They're just too persistent."

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

"Alright," Kankuro finally agreed. "Gaara, it's time to go. Call your brothers and we'll go home."

"Tou-chan, can't we stay? Just a few more minutes?"the three boys were standing there in front of the pair, all holding their shoes as they tried to look innocent.

"We could but kaa-chan is tired." he mentioned the one thing that would want them to leave and it worked. As they looked at their "kaa-chan", they could see the weariness in her form and the exhaustion in her eyes. All three nodded without another word, put on their shoes and proceeded to assist Naru out of the seat and their "tou-chan's" embrace only to walk her towards the exit of the establishment. Kankuro could only shake his head in amusement before following his family out knowing that their whoever it was that was stalking Naru would still be following them.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

"Sasuke isn't that Itachi-nii?" Hinata asked as they said man pulled over a few houses away from the family they had been following. The two watched as Itachi emerged from the house and greeted the blonde woman with a small smile and a gentle hug. Sasuke once more seethed at the intimacy but this time he didn't know whether the jealousy was because it was Narumi or Itachi. "Who is that?" Hinata asked as another woman emerged from the house to greet the family. She was blonde as well and from what they could see, she seemed pregnant. "Is she Itachi-nii's wife?" they watched as he wrapped an arm around the woman's waist as she spoke to the other couple. For a moment, Sasuke swore he saw his brother look in their direction.

"What's going on?"

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

"Aniki they've been following us all afternoon," she relayed as they were allowed to enter the house. She told the kids to get to bed while Kankuro, Deidara and Itachi followed her to the kitchen. "I'm not sure but I think it's your brother."

"Sasuke?"

"Do you have another brother?" she smirked. "Yes I think it's Sasuke."

"How would you know?" Kankuro asked. "I thought you said you didn't know him?"

"I didn't want you to worry." shetold him. "Besides, I'd seen him the moment we walked into the park. Just because you thought I didn't know he was there, doesn't mean I wasn't paying attention to him."

"You fooled me then," Everyone could hear the pride in his voice as he spoke. "Even the triplets didn't know that you knew he was there."

"Well I didn't want to cause anyone trouble."

"Are you sure it's Sasuke?"

"If it's not him then he would've left," she sent a casual glance outside the window of the kitchen and found that she had been right in her assumption. The car was still there. "And since he's still there, then I'm pretty sure it was him."

"What are we going to do?"

"It's all up to you but I think you should talk to him." Naru told him. "Tell him the truth. He should know why you left, what's been going on and what happened to his family. He has a right to know that."

"Naru you know why I can't tell him."

"You think he's not ready," she said. "But we both know he is. He's joined the very organization that you had been trying to keep him away from. You wanted him to have a normal life and so you left because you didn't want him to follow in your footsteps. What you didn't know is that decision cemented his own to find out what happened to you and the rest of the Uchiha."

"How do you~?"

"I do my research." the blonde woman shrugged. "Not just on my enemies but my allies as well. That way I don't get vulnerable if something is revealed."

"Naru~"

"Again, it's your decision but I think you should talk to him." she told him as she rose from her seat. "I'm tired so I'm going to bed. Dei-chan you wanna come with me?" the usually obnoxiously loud blonde had been so quiet it was obvious she was exhausted. She nodded and Naru helped her out of her chair and they left the two men alone.

"Kankuro, what do you think I should do?"

"I think she's right, but ultimately you have to make the choice." he replied. "Why don't you invite them in? They've been outside for a long time and I think they might not be comfortable inside that car. I could stay with you if you want."

"That would be appreciated." Itachi nodded. "I would've asked Naru to stay with me but seeing as he's fixated on her I don't think it will be safe."

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

I couldn't sleep. I don't know why, after all it had been such a tiring day but I couldn't seem to find the peace I needed to so I could get some shut eye. Partly it was because of Ita-nii's brother being in the house with us. I knew they were talking but I'd always thought that if they ever met each other again then it would result to punches and a lot of blood. But then again, with Kankuro-nii and the other woman with them they could be forced to be civil towards each other and actually talk before jumping up arms swinging. Sighing deeply to myself, I looked at the bedside table only to sigh once more as I realized that it was already half past midnight. At this rate, I wasn't going to get any sleep.

"Why does it always seem to happen to me?" I muttered crossly as I sat up on my bed trying not to think of the other part why I couldn't really get some sleep. I didn't tell anyone because I knew it would cause trouble but I knew Sasuke. Or rather, I knew his presence. Back at the snake's base, I could feel him follow me through the building and I knew he was watching me when I was fighting my brothers. My training had been primarily on assassinations so of course, stealth was a major part in it. What my elder brothers didn't know was that I've perfected my own technique.

"I have to do something." I finally decided to just get up and go through some of my katas to maybe tire my body a little. I had to stop thinking about the grace and strength that was hidden so carefully underneath those dark clothes he wore when we were at the base. He didn't know that I knew he was there, or so I thought until I saw him today at the park. I don't know why he was following me, neither did I understand what about me has caught his attention but all I know for myself is that, for the past two months I've been trying to get his presence out of my mind because I knew I was never going to find him anyway and I find it stupid to pine away for someone you don't even know.

"Can't sleep?" my next punch was blocked and I find myself staring into onyx orbs that seemed to shine red in the darkness. We traded blows and I was fascinated by the way he seemed to be able to predict my movements. It was like sparring with Itachi-nii.

"No, why are you still here?" I'd meant it the way I'd said it because I wanted him to leave me alone to my thoughts. He tried to sweep me off my feet but I simply backflipped three times to gain some distance between us.

"I talked to aniki," I flinched, it sounded so foreign coming from someone else. "He told me everything." he said as he closed the distance between us and blocked my punch with an open palmed hit and tried to hit my chest with that same hand. I countered by slapping it away from me and attempting a roundhouse kick that would've sent him off to dreamland. "Impressive," he commented as his eyes widened at the strength of my kick.

"I'm afraid I can't say the same," and it was true. He really hadn't shown me anything that would impress me, or maybe he was just testing me. He smirked, his lips lifting ever so slightly on one side but it was his eyes that did the most damage, had the most effect on me. They twinkled mischievously as he answered my challenge and the gleam in his eye irked me to no end. We didn't say anything as we continued or impromptu spar and I had to admit, he was strong. But he was nowhere near as strong as some of the enemies I had encountered on various missions.

"Who are you?" he asked as he stood shakily from the ground after receiving a rather strong punch to his chest that was quickly followed by a kick that had sent him flying a few feet away from me.

"No one you need to know." I turned away from him without so much as a gasp, brushing dust from my clothes as I did.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

"I know." I continued to walk away. "I don't particularly care."

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

Sasuke watched as she stepped back into the house, her hips swaying ever so slightly as she walked. He was impressed, incredibly so, and he'd wanted to tell her that but then the way that she just waved his introduction off pummelled his already bruised ego to the ground. She had beaten him so soundly and she looked like she wasn't even trying. He had found his brother, Itachi had told him of all the reasons why he'd left; the corruption of their family, their attempt to kill Sasuke himself and everything else that had pointed to one thing. Itachi had always been protecting him. He'd made it his life's mission to be strong so he could get the answers he wanted, by force if necessary, from his own brother but he hadn't needed that when they confronted each other. Now though, he had another purpose. He wanted her and what an Uchiha wants, an Uchiha gets.

* * *

**AN: Tell me how it was? **

**Please and thank you! **

**Love lots, **

**Aly**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: So here's the next chappy guys! Read and Review please! **

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It's been a week since the brothers had made up and I'm happy for aniki, really I am. He seems so content with Dei-chan these days, he doesn't bother Nagato-nii for missions and just accepts that he's going to be a father in about four months and he's also really happy about being in his brother's good graces. Sasuke, that arrogant, all-knowing, handsome young Uchiha that can't leave me alone even in my thoughts. I hate him. I hate the way he looks at me when he thinks I don't know – and even when he knows that I do – and then that smirk that he flashes me infuriates me. After our impromptu midnight spar he had taken it unto himself to annoy me everyday. He and Hinata, the woman who was with him stalking us, come over everyday. It seemed as if they too had no missions these days. Speaking of whom, they are now on their way to me. Hinata with her gentle and slightly maternal smile directed right at me and the stupid Uchiha with his rosy pink lips lifted on one side in his trademark smirk.

"Hello Naru-chan," Hinata said as she sat next to me on the staircase toward my porch. I grunted in response and tore my eyes away from the approaching duck haired annoyance my aniki calls his younger brother.

"You're here again?"

"I'm sorry if we're invading your privacy but we haven't seen Itachi-nii in over five years so you must understand our need to be with him."

"At this rate, you'll be living here in no time."

"No, we wouldn't want to do that to you and Deidara-chan." she disagreed with me but then she looked as if she actually wanted to.

"Good morning," I froze, my retort dying in my throat as my brain tried to process the words that had come out of the Uchiha's mouth. Did he just greet me a good morning?

"There's nothing good about the morning," I finally pulled myself together after a few awkward moments.

"Nee-chan!" three high-pitched but definitely boyish voices chorused behind me and I hastily rose from my seat, pushed the Uchiha aside and out of my way as I bolted down the three steps.

"Naru-nee~" the trio whined as they looked at Sasuke who was rubbing his sore back, he had apparently hit it on the banister when I pushed him aside. I flashed him an apologetic look which he returned with a raised eyebrow and I answered with a wave of my hand towards the three boys looking expectantly at me.

"Yes?" I smiled sweetly at the three boys standing in confusion at the porch.

"We just want to play," Gaara offered but I didn't miss that mischievous glint in his teal gaze.

"We miss you," Sasori backed him up, confidence oozing from every pore in his small body as he looked unflinchingly at my cerulean orbs.

"You haven't been around that much," the heartbreaking tone in my younger brother's voice had me staring at him in shock. I knew I'd been busy with missions but I never realized how much I missed him either and the past few days couldn't have been easy for him because my mind was off to space all the time.

"Kyuu," I sighed loudly. "Come on," he beamed brightly at me as he ran down the steps, Gaara and Sasori not too far behind. I smiled at Kyuu, his eyes widening in realization as he ran just that bit faster and launched himself into my arms. I caught him deftly, positioned him onto my back where he wrapped his arms around my neck and his legs around my waist. "Ready otouto?"

"Yeah." he murmured into my ear and I smirked at Sasori and Gaara.

"Well, aren't you going to get your partners?" the two boys looked at each other, smiled widely and then separated to go find their partners.

"You want me to be your partner?" Hinata stared in shock at Gaara who was looking at her expectantly.

"Will you please?" his eyes had grown wide, glistening slightly with unshed tears and I had to bite back my snort at the obvious manipulation.

"Sasu-nii, will you please be my partner?" Sasori had been doing the same and it was all Sasuke could do not to lose control with the boy. It seemed as if the pout had been doing nothing but irritate the youngest Uchiha whose eyebrow was twitching incessantly.

"What are we supposed to do?" Hinata asked as Gaara settled on her back with agility she hadn't expected from a seven year old boy. I rolled my eyes at the surprise in her lavender orbs but explained anyway.

"Well it's actually really easy, all you have to do is to get one boy off their partner's shoulders. Whoever does that first is the winner."

"That seems easy enough," Hinata commented but then turned her attention to the two other boys that had begun glaring at each other. "Sasuke Uchiha get the boy on your shoulders or I swear I'll bring Karin back to life just to annoy you."

"Fine," he finally submitted to her glare but returned it with his own before kneeling so that Sasori could get on his back properly. He turned his glare on the young boy when he inadvertently pulled on the dark hair to keep himself afloat when Sasuke stumbled.

"What's the matter Uchiha?" I couldn't resist the moment to taunt him. "Afraid you'll get beat?"

"You wish Namikaze," I froze at the mention of my surname. How did he know about that? I'm sure that I haven't told anyone about it and yet he knew. Narrowing my eyes at the smirking Uchiha, I raised an eyebrow and settled my face into an emotionless mask.

"Let's start then."

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

I stood with my back against a tree, listening closely to the quick shift of air that would announce my opponent's arrival. We had been at it for hours but it seemed as if Sasuke had no intent of conceding and he along with Sasori made a pretty good team. Gaara and Hinata had been quickly taken out of the game by the pair and now, a good three hours after we started, we were still going at it.

"Are you okay Kyuu?"

"Nee-chan, why isn't Sasu-nii giving up?"

"I don't know otouto." Pushing back from the tree I slung Kyuu back to my back just as Sasuke was about to pluck him off of my arms. I was aware that we had garnered some audience but at the moment I couldn't care less. "Hold on tight Kyuu," I told my baby brother as I back flipped out of the tree and landed on my feet nimbly. "That was close Uchiha, but not close enough." I taunted as he jumped out of the same tree with Sasori perched carefully on his back.

"We're not done yet Uzumaki," I raised an eyebrow at the different surname but then shook my head because his first slip would not be so easily forgotten.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Sasori seems tired already."

"I am not!" said redhead protested loudly making Sasuke wince.

"Are you sure Sasori?"

"I don't want to lose," he pouted and I couldn't quite stifle the snicker that escaped from my lips.

"Kyuu what about you?" I turned to look at him and he stared right back at me with his 'are-you-crazy' look. "Alright, stupid question. So what about it Uchiha?"

"Why don't we just get the kids out of the way and fight this out ourselves?" he suggested as he moved to settle Sasori on the ground.

"What?"

"We both know this isn't about the game anymore," he started as he nudged the disbelieving boy towards our audience. "Go on Sasori," he told him. "Naru-nee and I will settle this ourselves." I sighed deeply then turned my attention to my brother who was still perched on my back quite comfortably.

"Kyuu?" he flashed me a wide smile before replying.

"Kick his ass nee-chan," he hopped off my back and raced towards Itachi-nii.

"Fine, let's get this over with," I turned back to him only to see him glaring at me with a mildly amused smirk on his face.

"It's not going to be as easy as the last time Naru," he said.

"Oh, and why not?" I matched his smirk with one of my own. "If I remember correctly I was merely practicing my katas when you ambushed me that night and yet I still kicked your ass." I smiled sweetly at him relishing in the intensifying glare he shot me. "I'm not afraid of you Uchiha. Get your head out of the clouds and stop thinking you can beat me."

"Being cocky will get you nowhere with me Uzumaki-Namikaze," he was already behind me, his breath on my ear as he whispered without our bodies touching. My eyes widened at the use of my other surname but then I smirked.

"This won't work with me Uchiha," I spun in his arms my face close to his, our lips mere centimeters away from the other though not completely touching. "You have no idea who you're dealing with." I backed away from him while he still looked dazed and then smirked when his brain finally caught up to what I had done. Even though outside I had been smirking madly, inside I was freaking out. Never have I ever done this to any of my opponents. Looking off to the side for just a moment I didn't miss the smile on Itachi-nii's face as he watched us square off.

"Are you teasing me Uzumaki?" he asked once he finally regained his composure. I smirked once more and then batted my eyelashes at him, my ever noticing cerulean pools twinkling at the slight flush that rose on his cheeks.

"You can only hope I'm teasing you Uchiha." I smiled as he flushed in outrage and ran straight at me aiming for a punch. He was blinded by his anger and I continued to taunt him. "Seriously if you're going to punch me at least aim." I blocked another punch with an open palm and pushed him back with a kick to his chest.

"Aiming lower Uzumaki?" he coughed and rubbed his chest.

"We wouldn't want to mar your handsome face now would we?" I smiled once more but my eyes narrowed when he smirked at me.

"You think I'm handsome?" there it was, the perpetually cliché question that tried to throw people off.

"I'm not blind Uchiha," I rolled my eyes as he tried for a kick to the head which apparently was a faint, I realized a just a second before it hit me, when I ducked and his knee was right to my face. I blocked it with both hands and used it as leverage to push myself above him and aim a kick to the back of his head. "You're handsome," I said as he stumbled forward to avoid my kick. "Although rather on the feminine side of it. On the other hand, your brother, now that's a real man."

"How would you know?" he glared at his brother who had promptly choked after my declaration.

"Personal experience," this seemed to infuriate him more as his hits came faster and harder though nowhere near fast or strong enough to shock me.

"Got you Uzumaki," he had gotten lucky, his hand slipping through my guard to clutch at my shirt right above my chest. He pulled me to him, our close proximity making me blush and I heard the gasps of surprise on the sidelines. "It's over," he declared, his eyes turning red with strange commas in them.

"Don't think you're the only one with a doujutsu Uchiha," I smirked as I let my own bloodline leak into my eyes. He gasped and pushed me away from him as soon as he saw the red slitted eyes I sported.

"Nee-chan!" Kyuu's voice was annoyed.

"Sorry otouto but he used his against me." I looked at Kyuu, my eyes back to normal, then blew him a kiss accompanied by a wink.

"Oh." I could only smile at the flabbergasted look on his face before turning his attention towards Itachi-nii. "Aniki didn't anyone ever tell him?"

"What the hell's going on?" Sasuke shouted. "What happened to your eyes Uzumaki?"

"Did you really think you were the only one to have a kekkei genkai?" I retorted then turned away from him and started to walk back to my brothers who were in a heated argument.

"Don't walk away from me Uzumaki!" he shouted at my back. "We're not done yet!"

"I think we are." once again I was surprised by his speed when he appeared behind me and twisted my arm behind my back.

"I think not." he pulled me flush against him and I could feel the effects our spar had had on him. In truth, I would admit, I felt similarly aroused but I had no intention of trying to ease that heat with him.

"Let me go Uchiha." I narrowed my eyes at him, my voice dropping to a silent whisper, my threat cold against the heat surrounding us both.

"We both want this to end properly," he said. "You know you do." I didn't answer, instead I flipped him and he landed on his back with a pained grunt. My knee was instantly on his chest, my hand on his throat while the other glinted with the kunai I had pulled from somewhere by reflex.

"Don't. Ever. Do. That. To. Me. Again." I pressed the kunai closer to his forehead, his beautiful onyx orbs crossing as he looked at its point. "I think I win." I huffed as I rose from my position atop him.

"I told you nee-chan would beat him!" my brother's happy declaration broke through the haze of anger flowing through me and I smiled wryly at him.

"Come on Kyuu," I called out to him. "Let's go out."

"Naru?" aniki called out to me as I reached for Kyuu's hand.

"We're just going to have lunch outside," I told him. "Don't worry 'Tachi-nii, we won't be too late." I pulled Kyuu into my arms and strode off as he snuggled closer to me, tucking his face into my neck.

"Are you alright nee-chan?" his small voice was slightly terrified.

"I'm fine Kyuu."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't you think so?"

"You looked so angry with Sasu-nii."

"I just didn't like the way he was talking to me." I told him as I rounded a corner. My feet were leading us towards our favourite restaurant besides Ichiraku's. It was Akimichi's Barbecue and usually meant only one thing; I needed alone time.

"You're not okay." he said but didn't continue. I sighed thinking how I could have a mere five year old in my arms with the way he was talking to me but continued on my way. I needed time to think.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

"It's gotten dark, where do you think they are?" his long dark hair fell in perfect place as he peered once more through the curtains.

"I'm sure they're fine 'Tachi," the blonde woman sitting on the couch rubbing her bulging belly placated her husband.

"How do you know?" he sighed deeply as he asked her and sat beside her.

"She's an excellent fighter and besides she'll protect Kyuu."

"That's what I'm worried about."

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

"You really don't have to do that Ryu-san," I once more tried in vain to shake off the man following me. "I can find my own way home."

"San?" he looked at me, something in those dark eyes scaring me. "Aren't we past formalities by now?"

"I'm sorry but I really should go." I hoisted Kyuu onto my back, the sleeping boy clutching at my neck as he sighed.

"It really is no trouble 'Rumi," I flinched at the nickname, an action which he noticed going by the narrowing of his gaze. "Besides, I can't let a beautiful woman like you go home on her own after dark." he flashed me what was meant to be a disarming smile but all my instincts screamed at me to run. In my six years as a fighter, my instincts had never been wrong.

"Again, thank you for the offer but I can make it on my own and there's no need for you to worry about me." I side stepped away from him but he grabbed my arm in a bruising grip.

"I insist." his gaze turned threatening and his grip got tighter, I knew he would leave marks.

"Naru, where have you been?" I sighed in relief as I saw the familiar onyx orbs and the spiky hair. "I've been looking for you the whole afternoon." he said as he walked straight to us and Ryu let me go. "Why did you run off after we fought?" he asked me, his eyes staring straight into mine and I just knew he wasn't actually asking that. But there was something in his eyes, was that worry?

"Sorry, I just needed to think," I broke away my gaze from him and listened as he sighed.

"Can we just go home?" he asked me and I nodded meekly trying to hide my burning cheeks. "Naru, please look at me," his voice was gentle and imploring and I found myself looking up to meet his striking onyx gaze. "I'm sorry." he kissed my forehead and I flushed darker.

"I'm sorry too." I whispered.

"Come on let's go," he took Kyuu from my back, settled him on his own arm and held his other hand out to me.

"Thank you for keeping me company Ryu-san." I said as I looked at the other man without flinching.

"It was no problem at all." he bowed slightly. "But I'm afraid I must go." I didn't answer as he turned away from us and walked off. Sasuke and I didn't speak even as we got into the car. I sagged on the front seat, all the tension draining away from my body as he drove back to the house.

"Who was that?" Sasuke asked as soon as I had gotten Kyuu into my bed. Itachi-nii had moved into Dei-chan's room a few weeks ago due to the pregnancy so Kyuu moved in with me.

"I don't really know but he seems to know me." I rose from petting my brother's head and walked over to him. "By the way, thank you." he didn't say anything, just continued to lean against the door jamb.

"It looked like you were going to have trouble soon."

"Still thank you for interfering when you did." I told him, our gazes meeting and I could see something in them, they softened with an emotion I couldn't point out.

"There's no need to thank me," he finally pushed off of the wall. "I did something to help you. That shouldn't come as too much of a shock."

"How do you know so much about me?" I asked the question I had been itching to ask since this morning. "How do you know who I am?"

"You know as well as I do that when an Uchiha wants something, they get it." he drawled and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him. "I'm sorry for the things I said during our spar." I was being backed into a corner without my consciousness telling me so and soon my back hit the far wall. "But I won't take them back because they're true." both his hands were on either side of my head and my breath quickened when he leaned his face close to mine. "When an Uchiha wants something, he gets it." he reminded me before he closed the distance between our lips and I melted into his kiss. His arms were around my waist to support me as my legs turned to jelly, his lips moving softly against my own. "I want you Naru."

* * *

**AN: Tell me what you think ne?**

**Love lots, **

**Aly**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: SO here's the next chapter because I love you guys so much and I won't have my computer for a few days. Hope you like it. **

* * *

I was back in the dojo blasting training dummies to pieces. I had to move, I had to fight, I had to get hurt because I didn't want to think. I didn't want to think about the way his lips would turn up to one side in his trademark smirk, the way those onyx orbs of his suddenly glow red when he used his bloodline or the way he run his hand through his hair in frustration. Shit. I'm thinking about him again. I threw myself on the floor away from the piece of wood that I'd been pummeling and as I breathed harshly I thought of the past two weeks since he told me he wanted me.

"Damn it." I don't know what's happening to me. I feel something towards him, that much I am willing to admit but he has this control over me that I don't understand how he got. When he talks I find myself listening and more often than not, I actually _listen_ to him. "Fuck." this is so frustrating. Here I am talking to myself again because I don't understand what it is that's happening to me.

"This is the fifth time this week that I've had Suigetsu clean up your mess." and in he came, my older brother Itachi, striding towards me in his full Uchiha glory. I couldn't help but compare how different their walks were... and there I go again.

"Good." I said as I ignored my inner monologue. "At least he now has more use to us that he had before."

"You have bruises on top of your bruises," aniki prodded my side and I hissed angrily at him.

"Stop that."

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" he just followed me when I rolled away from him. He pulled me up so that I was half lying on him with my head on his chest.

"I'm so confused." I muttered. I hadn't wanted to speak to anyone about it but with aniki, I could never hide anything.

"Why are you confused?"

"You're brother... it's... he's..."

"What did he do?" he suddenly went rigid and I knew his mind just went into a whole lot of places I wouldn't even imagine going into.

"It's not like that aniki," I patted his arm that was around me in assurance. "It's just..."

"Rumi, you know you can tell me anything right?"

"I'm just so confused," I finally admitted. "I keep thinking about him and I notice these odd little things that I'm sure no one will really care about~"

"What little things?"

"Like the way he glares at each person is different. When he glares at you it's different from the way he looks at..." I trailed off again, not sure how I could continue.

"Narumi?"

"I can tell when he smiles and when he smirks and I can read his expressions from his eyes and I know he just fell for the triplets even if he acts as though he hates them especially Sasori."

"Do you know why you're feeling this way?"

"I don't aniki, and that's my problem." we fell quiet for a time and I was thinking if I should tell him. "I.. 'Tachi-nii I need to tell you something."

"..."

"Three months ago when I was sent to Orochimaru's hideout I told you what happened but I kept something from you. I... your brother... Sasuke was there."

"He was?"

"I don't know if he knows it was me but I knew he was there. I didn't see him, I just felt his presence. It wasn't until the building exploded when I actually confirmed my suspicions that someone else was there. I saw him when I was gliding away from the burning building, he landed hard on the ground when his parachute caught on fire and I remember being impressed by his skills but I had more pressing matters to think about, I'd just finished fighting Kimi-kun and Juugo-kun so I didn't think too much on it. Not that it stopped my brain from thinking about him because once I got over their deaths he was the one always in my mind and I just couldn't stop thinking about him. I think he may have come looking for me."

"Why do you say that he was looking for you?" I could feel my face heat up and I wanted to stop talking but... damn it. I can't even think straight anymore.

"He knows me aniki," I closed my eyes refusing to look at him as my face heated up. "He knows who I am."

"You mean?" I just know his eyebrow had risen.

"Why would someone do research on me?"

"Is there anything left to find?"

"There's not much to find anyway besides the newspaper clipping that detailed what happened. I know it was written on that report that my body and my brother's had never been found and as far as I know I'm the only one in all of Konoha that's named Narumi."

"How did he even know where to start?"

"Kimi-kun and Juugo-kun said my real name a couple of times while we had been fighting." the sound of hurried footsteps had us both keeping quiet. The door to the dojo was slid open violently and in stepped Hinata. She was wearing something akin to what I usually wear when doing missions but it was dirty, ripped and even bloody in some places.

"Aniki," she hissed and I could see the falter in her steps. She limped her way to us and I broke free from Itachi-nii's hold and stood up. "We've got trouble." she swayed and I was quick to catch her.

"Hinata you've got to calm down." aniki told her as I laid the dark haired woman on the wooden floor of the practice area.

"I can't." she didn't fight in my hold but I could see that she wanted to. "Sasuke's been captured."

"What?"

"We had been sent on a mission," she began to hyperventilate and I pulled her up into a sitting position, put her head in between her legs and instructed her to breathe.

"Calm yourself Hinata before you speak again." I was in my mission mode, my other persona, the nine-tailed fox. The very same one from whom my brother had gotten his name.

"Thank you Naru," she tried to nod but it seemed to disorient her so she settled for smile.

"Tell us what happened."

"We'd done our mission," she said. "We were on our way back to base when suddenly this car rams us from behind. Sasuke had already gotten hurt and I was trying to get him back to the headquarters because even I was low on energy and I needed someone else to take care of him and..."

"Hinata," I said as gently as I could.

"Sorry. We were hit by a car and almost caused an accident on the freeway but I got lucky. We stopped barely on the edge of the bridge and that's when the man came out of the other car. He was tall, had dark brown hair and his eyes were black."

"Ryu," I hissed and rose from my kneeling position on the floor.

"You know this man Naru?" Hinata asked.

"Aniki get Konan-chan so she can help heal Hinata." I was already halfway out the door. "I have some unfinished business to take care of. I'll teach him not to mess with what's mine." anger coursed through me, running with my blood as if it were the very life force that let me live. He had gone too far. How dare he touch _him_? I will kill him. Because he took what's mine, because he threatened those that I love including my baby brother and because he dared to lay a hand on the man that I loved. I froze in midstep but shook my head firmly to get those thoughts out of my head. Now was not the time to get myself distracted. I had my man to save.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

Pain blasted through his consciousness as he awoke in a dark room. He struggled to open his eyes, his mind drifting through past events to find out where he was. He spread his senses wide open, his ears straining for anything. After a minute of hearing nothing he tried to move only to feel more pain bloom into his arm as he began to roll over. Grunting to himself only then did he realize that he was lying on a bed.

"I told you to stay away from me!" his ears twitched at the feminine voice.

"_Naru?"_ he thought.

"I told you, you're mine." it was a man's voice, one that he recognized despite the distance.

"How dare you?" it was the sound of a female's righteous fury. He could hear the blows that she must've landed and his grunts of pain as well. "I told you I am no one's property! I will not honor a contract written twenty five years ago by dead men. Just because your parents pushed you into looking for me doesn't mean you'll get what you want. I am not yours or anybody else's!"

"You say that," the voices have gotten closer to him, he could hear them clearly though their voices were slightly muffled by the door that seemed to be separating him from the outside world. "And yet you came for him."

"That's none of your business," he could hear someone by the door trying to open it. "Open this door Ryu!"

"No."

"Fine, have it your way."

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

I was frustrated and angry and tired and I was sore from my own practice sessions. I just didn't have the patience to argue with him any longer so I did what any other woman would've done. I kicked the door down. I would've laughed at the bastard's reaction had I not seen the state Sasuke was in.

"Sasuke," I rushed to his side and inspected the damage done on his body. "How many of his injuries were your doing?" I glared at Ryu who still stood gaping in shock by the doorway.

"I didn't touch him."

"Narumi," Sasuke had been awake and I was too busy interrogating his captor to notice.

"How are you feeling?" it was a stupid question and yet I felt the need to ask. He tried to chuckle but it came out more as a gasp.

"Like I'd been hit by a train."

"Don't worry," I could hear the shaking of my own voice as my lips quivered while I fought the urge to cry. "You're safe now. I'm getting you out of here."

"Are you alone?" he rasped.

"Yes."

"You shouldn't have come alone," he admonished me. "Not in your condition." he was grasping my hand as he struggled to open his eyes. "I would've gotten away eventually, I just needed some rest." I almost laughed. He was still on the charade that we were together, at least in front of Ryu and now I also had condition.

"Condition, what condition?" speak of the devil and he shall come. He was there standing beside me while I knelt next to the bed. I ignored his presence and focused on Sasuke who had finally been able to open his onyx orbs. I could see the exhaustion and worry in them and yet there was still the mischief of what we were trying to pull off. Trust an Uchiha to keep his cover even when in mortal peril.

"I'm pregnant." I was the one to answer and I finally looked Ryu in the eyes. I could see the shock, anger and then resignation as they appeared on his face.

"I didn't endanger you, did I?"

"No, at least not yet but if I tire myself out a little more then I might lose her."

"I'll help you get him into the car."

The drive home was quick after Ryu helped get Sasuke into the car. We didn't say anything, Sasuke and I, as we got closer to the house. I helped him out of the car and we stumbled our way up the porch and towards the front door. Just as I was about to knock the door flew open and Itachi-nii came into view.

"That was stupid of you Narumi Uzumaki-Namikaze!"

"I know aniki," I would've rolled my eyes had I not felt the exhaustion creeping up on me. "Could you please take him now? I'm about to fall over." he did so without another word and then I did fall over. I heard someone scream my name but I was already gone.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

I was enveloped in a conforting warmth, one that made me feel safe, secure and protected. I felt the arms tightening around me, the hard body pressed against my back and the rigid length on my thigh. I loved it. It was also not either one of my brothers. I tried to move but the arms around me tightened and I could hear the definitely masculine voice groan behind me.

"What time is it?"

"I don't know," I whispered in return.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he spun me around so that I faced him. Cerulean met onyx and I lost myself within those dark depths.

"Really sore," his eyes widened and a flush rose to his cheeks before his lips settled into a smug smirk.

"Is that my doing?" he asked in his usual drawl his eyes smouldering with desire as they swam with mischief.

"I sure hope so," I smiled cheekily at him. "After all, I think you should take responsibility for your actions. You did get me pregnant in the first place."

"I seriously doubted he would believe that," his eyes shone with mirth and he pulled me into a slow, languid kiss that had my toes curling. I could feel the heat spread through me as the sensations he awakened took over my senses. "I want you Naru." there they were, the four words that scared me. I tried to pull away from him but he held on tight.

"Sasuke I..." I couldn't continue but he seemed to understand.

"I know this must be frightening for you," his hand was there to caress my face and I couldn't help but lean into his touch. "I know about your past, everything that happened and I know that the rest of your life you had trained to be an assasin, a killer. There's blood on your hands but you're not that much different from me."

"No, I, it's not that," I struggled to form the words. I took a deep shuddering breath before I tried again. "I'm afraid. I'm not afraid to have feelings for you it's just that..." he waited patiently for me to speak but I found I couldn't say what I really wanted to tell him. "The night when my parents were killed I saw my mom, my best friend and cousin get violated by Orochimaru's men. It's just difficult to see past that when all I can remember about it is the pain reflected in their eyes and..." I couldn't speak anymore because the tears had fallen and I had no way to stop them.

"Oh Naru," I couldn't quite believe that Sasuke was so patient and gentle with me but I leaned into his touch anyway because he was there to comfort me. "That's not going to happen to you love. From now on, I'll be here to protect both you and your brother. He won't hurt anyone you love, not while I'm here." and then his lips were on my forehead, the motion so tender it had me bursting into new tears. "You don't need to be scared because I don't want our relationship to be only physical, I want to get to know you."

"I'm sorry Sasuke," I whispered between the sobs racking through me. "I'm just so scared. I don't want to lose anyone else. Orochimaru's still around and I can only imagine what he'll do once he finds out who destroyed his last base."

"I love you Narumi Uzumaki-Namikaze." his declaration had me staring at him in wonder. "In the short amount of time that I have known you I realized that what I feel for you is something I have never felt for anyone else. Orochimaru is nothing but a cowardly snake. We can face him together and we will when the time comes."

"Why did you look for me?" I finally asked the question that had been bothering me ever since he showed up at our doorstep almost a month ago.

"He was fascinated by the power you held." it was another's voice that answered. I tried to look up but I was held down by Sasuke and he had his face hidden in my neck. "He was so obsessed with you." I could tell she was coming nearer as her voice sounded closer to me. "He snapped at everyone at HQ because they couldn't find you." she sat right next to Sasuke's turned back and stroked his hair in a comforting manner. I had the distinct impression that if someone else would've seen that they would've thought how intimate the relationship between the two was.

"She didn't need to know that Hina," his breath tickled my neck, his lips moving against my skin and I could only gasp at the close contact.

"Of course she did Sasu," I know she heard me but it seemed as if she didn't want to comment on my reaction and I was quite thankful for that. "She should know that you decided to stalk her which eventually led to us finding Itachi-nii and you in that position."

"Go away Hina."

"No, aniki told me to wake you both because you've been asleep for three whole days and so you must be famished."

"Thanks Hinata, we'll be down when we're ready." I answered for the both of us. I didn't want an argument to start.

"Just don't take too long alright Narumi?" she rose from her position after kissing Sasuke's cheek. "Oh and by the way Naru," she had stopped by the doorway. "Thank you for saving him." I heard the door click shut before I could respond.

"Tell me about Ryu," Sasuke's voice was imploring and subdued and I could hear the slight worry in them.

"What do you want to know about him?"

"Why did he call you his? What happened to you the first time I saw you with him?"

"Twenty five years ago my grandfather Jiraiya and his grandfather made a contract about their first grandchildren. They wrote the bethrotal papers that when the girl becomes eighteen, regardless of the boy's age, they will be married to each other to strengthen the ties between the two families. I didn't even know about it until he showed up at the restaurant where Kyuu and I had been eating lunch."

"So, why don't you want to honor it?"

"Our grandparents are dead, it was never really official since my parents had not been able to tell me before they died and I find myself attracted to someone." I felt his head move from my neck and I closed my eyes. I didn't want him to see them because I knew he could read me as easily as I could read him.

"Narumi," his breath flickered on my lips, his voice deep and ragged. "Look at me." three words that had me opening my eyes to obey the quiet order. "Will you give me a chance?" I didn't answer. I simply leaned in so that our lips met because really, what would you say to the man you love?

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**AN: Please tell me what you think.. **

**Review please. **

**aLy :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Hey! Here's the next chapter!**

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My breathing was ragged, my heartbeat raced as I crouched beneath a table in a corner of the dark room. I breathed deeply, letting it slip out as I calmed myself. I almost jumped when a hand shot out and reached for me but I was quickly silenced as my head was pulled down onto a hard shoulder and I breathed in his scent.

"Are you okay?" I nodded against him as my body sagged with relief. "They're not letting up are they?"

"No," I sighed and pulled my head away. "Let's finish this shall we? I want to shower."

"How do you want to end this?"

"With a bang of course," I grinned widely at him and without another word I slipped out of our hiding place and stood in the middle of the room with my eyes closed, my senses spread out as I listened to our surroundings. I spun quickly to pluck two kunais from the air; one had come from behind the other from somewhere in front of me. I could hear Sasuke's breathing from our hiding place and I knew he was waiting for the right time to strike. There was another swoosh and I side stepped to avoid the katana that had struck where the left side of my body had just been.

"Give up Naru, you can't win against all of us." of course it had to be Suigetsu first. That was fine with me, I wanted him out of the way anyway. I struck his wrist and caught the sword as it dropped from his hand. "Bitch!" I caught his hand as he tried to punch me barely gasping for breath as I twisted it painfully behind his back. I saw his smirk just as I felt someone else appear behind me. I bent forward to avoid the knife that was thrust where my head had just been and let my foot fly to my back hitting the offender's knee.

"Damn it Naru, not so hard!" I smirked at the sound of Hidan's annoyed outburst as he stumbled back from me, his larger than normal knife falling to the ground with a loud clatter.

"What do you expect?" I retorted. "I would like to remind you that this is a simulation for a reason."

"Where is your partner?"

"He's around here somewhere," I shrugged with an air of nonchalance as I hit the pulse point on Suigetsu's neck to keep him out of the fight. He sagged with unconsciousness and I threw him to Hidan who caught him.

"Be more gentle," Hidan chided. "I'm sensitive you know." I rolled my eyes at him and ducked when an overly large zanbatou swung above me.

"Hello Kisame-kun," there was another humongous sword about to plunge into my frame and I flattened myself on the ground to avoid it. _"Shit. Wrong move." _I realized as the scaly object Kisame called a sword was poised to slam into my whole body as he stood by my feet, just above my head Zabuza smirked in unholy glee at my apparent defeat. I smiled up at him because they had forgotten something.

"You okay Uzumaki?" Zabuza stared up in shock to find Kisame crumble onto the floor as I was pulled up by my partner.

"What took you so long Uchiha?" he shrugged nonchalantly, his hands flying to the sheath strapped to my back to pull out one of my kodachis and block Zabuza's enraged swing.

"I thought you had it covered," I was glad he was there to catch me as I stumbled due to the harsh hit. I pulled the other sword from my hip and blocked the hit that would've shaved Sasuke's legs.

"Well I did until I remembered it was supposed to be training for partners." we broke away from the impromptu embrace with me ducking underneath Sasuke's swing as he jumped over mine. The clang of metal against metal sounded the dark room as we exchanged swings.

"Naru, you think," he didn't need to finish because I understood what he was asking.

"There's two more."

"How long?"

"Five more minutes then we only have another five to end it."

"Why only five?"

"I'm filthy and I'm sore and I'm hungry. Sue me."

"Hormones," I heard him mutter and I had to stifle my laughter as both our opponents stumbled in surprise. We exchanged opponents in their confused moment and I stabbed the hilt of my kodachi towards Zabuza's stomach, the bandaged man grunting in pain before falling over. I looked behind me to find Kisame trapped in Sasuke's arms with my other sword across the shark toothed man's neck, his own sword lying quite a ways away from them. "Naru watch out," I saw his eyes widen and I knew I was in trouble.

"Drop the sword Naru," I heard Hinata's voice behind me as soon as I felt the tip of a knife on the side of my neck. I did as told and she turned her attention towards Sasuke. "Let him go Sasuke, he's out of this fight."

"So are you," I whispered just loud enough for her to hear as I slammed my head against her face and released the needles hiding within my sleeves and stabbed them onto her arm. I caught her as she stumbled, her gaze hazing with the drug I had laced my senbon with.

"Naru?"

"Rest 'Nata-chan," she nodded with a small smile as she let the drug make its way onto her system.

"Is it over yet?" Sasuke asked as I approached him. He had let Kisame go and the shark man sat beside Hidan watching curiously as I sauntered over to my partner.

"Not yet," I wrapped both arms around his neck and pulled myself flush against him. I felt his heart beat flutter in his chest as his breathing quickened when I settled my lips just beneath his.

"Naru?" I felt them move above mine and sighed as I breathed in his scent. I closed my eyes and leaned into a kiss, the slightest touch sending tingles through me as our lips moved together in a synchronised dance. I tried to convey how I felt through my actions because I couldn't find the words to say them yet. "I love you too." it was barely a whisper but I heard it anyway. I nodded at him and settled my head against his chest while simultaneously bringing out a kunai out of my sleeve and swinging my left hand in a downward spiral to settle just above the place any man would cringe away from. I looked up to find Sasuke with a kunai in hand just above my head, no doubt in position to slice Itachi-nii's jugular.

"We win 'Tachi-nii." I mumbled into Sasuke's chest in exhaustion, our bodies still tense and ready for movement even when I had a kunai poking at my back where my heart was supposed to be.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I can just push and you'll be a goner."

"That depends on who's quicker between the three of us." I said. "Choose one thing to lose and I don't think you'll choose what I currently have hostage."

"Fine," Itachi-nii finally stepped away from me and both Sasuke and I lowered our hands.

"I need a shower," I grabbed Sasuke's hand and pulled him out of the dojo, ignoring the looks sent our way by the rest of the Akatsuki.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

It had been two months since she took Sasuke back from Ryu, the whole Akatsuki still did not know how she found him, and since then they had been training as partners. Both Hinata and Sasuke had not denounced the Konoha's secret army but they hadn't returned there either. They had cashed in on months of vacation and had been spending time with the Akatsuki.

"Nee-chan?" freshly dressed, her hair still wet from the shower as she sat on the bed staring at the wall while she let her mind wander, she turned her attention towards her younger brother.

"Yes Kyuu?" he climbed up on her lap.

"Where's Sasu-nii?"

"He's taking a shower."

"Oh." the silence ensued for some time before Naru finally spoke again.

"Did you want something Kyuu?"

"Do you love him?"

"Who?"

"Sasu-nii."

"Oh."

"So, do you love him?"

"Why do you ask?" the boy shrugged.

"I just want to know." but red slitted eyes dropped to the floor in shame. He didn't want nee-chan to find out why he was asking. He didn't want her to know he was afraid she'd leave him.

"You know I love you, right Kyuu?" after his reluctant nod she continued. "I will never leave you. You know that right?"

"But you love him."

"That doesn't mean you will be left behind. I can love both of you just the same."

"No, if you love him a lot then you don't have enough love for me anymore."

"That's not how it works baby boy," she said. "You can love as many people as you want and it won't change the fact that you still want them in your life. I don't want you to think that I don't love you anymore because I found someone else to love. I will never leave your side, you have to know that."

"But you love him!" Kyuu tried to protest again.

"I do, I love him but not in the way I love you." she was patient as she explained. "There are different tupes of love and you'll understand them better when you're older. For now I want you to know that no one will come between us."

"I'm scared nee-chan, I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me. I'll always be here." they sat in silence, the elder holding her younger brother close, rocking him as he sobbed into her shirt.

Unknown to them Sasuke had emerged from the bathroom in time to hear most of the conversation. Onyx twinkled in delight as he listened to her proclaim her love, even though it was unintentional, to his ears. It was the first time she had admitted it since the first time he had asked her to give him a chance and he couldn't be happier. He left the room quietly, he knew they needed time to their selves.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

"You look happy," the comment drew him from his thoughts. He sat by the stairs that led to the front door, ignoring the hammock and the large chaise on the porch.

"I am happy."

"Don't let taichou see you like that." she sat next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Maybe we should leave the army."

"What would you do?"

"I'll join the Akatsuki." he shrugged. "There's really no reason for me to stay there anymore."

"You'd leave the army, the people who've stood by you for the past six years for someone you've met barely five months ago?" there was no accusation in her voice, simple curiousity and yet he couldn't help but flinch.

"I never really planned on staying. Once I found Itachi-nii I had no real plans for my life."

"I won't stop you Sasuke if this is what you really want." Hinata told him. "I know you love her but I just want you to make sure that this is exactly what you want. I don't want you to have to regret anything."

"Trust me Hina. This is one thing I will never regret."

"I'll miss you Sasuke," she said with a tone of finality that Hinata didn't like in his voice.

"We'll still see each other."

"I meant as partners," she leaned her head against his shoulder. "The way you move with Naru, it's just so natural. Our teamwork was flawless and opponents have a difficult time fighting us but when the two of you work together it's almost like a dance. You move so fluidly, matching the other's movements, always there to watch the other's back. Even when you fought with me we needed to have some sort of communication, no matter how small but with Naru everything just comes naturally. It's like you're so tuned to each other that you don't even need to speak or anything, you simply do."

"Well maybe you should try having Shino as your partner then."

"No, it's more than that. It's difficult to explain but don't let her go Sasuke. You'd be a fool to do so."

"We both know I'm no fool." Sasuke agreed, wrapping an arm around her.

XoxoxoxoxoxoxoX

"Shit, I'm getting distracted."

"No you're not," she looked up in surprise to find her older brother looking at her rather pensively. "You're training harder than even before."

"I don't know what to do aniki. I don't want to lose Sasuke but at the same time I want to be rid of Orochimaru."

"You'll just have to continue being partners with him."

"But why?"

"He'll never let you go off alone. Especially now that you've finally admitted you have feelings for him."

"I had a plan 'Tachi-nii." she rose in frustration. "I was just going to kill Orochimaru to keep Kyuu safe. I've been training for it since I came here and now everything is shot to hell."

"What did you think you would be doing when he's dead?"

"Honestly, I didn't even think of that. I was too focused on trying to kill him, finding his bases and discovering his weaknesses that I didn't even think about my future."

"What do you think will happen to you now?"

"Kami, I don't know aniki! I thought I could do this, but now I'm not so sure."

"Why?"

"I don't want him getting in any kind of trouble."

"And you think he wants you to be fighting alone?" Itachi retorted. "He'd rather be there with you when you find the snake rather than waiting here. Which is exactly why he's been training to be your partner for the past two months."

"I never wanted this aniki. All I wanted was peace."

"And for you, you can't find that peace until Orochimaru is dead so you focused on killing him instead."

"We'll never be free until the slippery bastard's ashes have been spread by the winds."

"Don't push him away Naru. You need him, you and Kyuu both. I would love to be there for you but I have my own family to take care of now and Deidara and our child have to come above you."

"I understand aniki, I just don't want him in the range of fire."

"If he's involved with you then he will be in the range of fire. He will try to protect you regardless of your strength and prowess in the field."

"I just don't want him to get hurt."

"Neither does he want you to be. You'll just have to accept that from now on he will always stay at your side because what an Uchiha wants, an Uchiha gets."

"I know that aniki. But you're forgetting one thing, Uzumakis do have their own way of persuasion." she smiled cheekily up at him, the older Uchiha only shaking his head in response.

"Just be careful Naru."

"I'm always careful."

"That's what I'm afraid off." he strolled back inside the house leaving the blonde pondering on their talk. She sighed deeply, she would have to decide whether bringing him along was worth the risk or not.

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**AN: So what do you want to happen next? Comments, suggestions? Review please!**

**Love,**

**aLy**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: So sorry for the long wait. I've sort of lost my muse on this one but I finished it anyway. Last chapter and Epilogue.**

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I zoomed through the streets, behind me was my partner on a bike similar to mine. It was time, after almost a year of looking for him we had finally found him. The snake was going to die. There was a flash of light in my side mirror and I nodded as he rushed past me. We both wore dark helmets and all black uniforms, how fitting for a night of darkness. I smirked as he swerved in and out of traffic, I guided my motorcycle to follow his movements. Before the night was over, vengeance will be served.

"Kyuubi," my headset crackled with my brother's voice. He couldn't come because of his pregnant wife but it didn't mean he wouldn't be able to help. He just had to stay in the shadows.

"Yes?"

"Let your partner go in first."

"Why?"

"Because Orochimaru will be expecting you to come. He didn't know about Sasuke before."

"Then wouldn't it be better if I were to go first that way we have Wolf in the shadows?"

"Let him do his job of luring out the enemy, this has already been discussed. The plan is final."

"Aniki I know you're worried but you and I both know that neither one of us will be listening to you or his own commander for that matter."

"Naru don't you dare."

"I'm sorry 'Tachi-nii but this is my revenge." I tore the earpiece off and left it inside my helmet ignoring the obsceneties now flowing freely from my elder brother's mouth. Sasuke and I had arrived in front of an empty looking compound that looked like a lab of sorts.

"You ready?" he too had disconnected his own earpiece, I could see it hanging from the handles of his motorcycle.

"Was your commander pissed?"

"Yes, he still thinks we shouldn't do this."

"Well you can always go back," I suggested. I still didn't want him in danger but I was glad he was with me.

"I won't leave you to do this alone," he stepped up to me, hands on my hips as he pulled me flush against him. I leaned up just as he bent his head and we shared a passionate kiss before pulling away.

"Let's do this," with that we were both in our mission mode. I was no longer Naru, I'd become Kyuubi and in a similar manner Sasuke was gone to be replaced by Wolf.

XoxoxoxoxoxoX

"Lord Orochimaru!" the building shook with another explosion, men in lab coats running around in a frenzy as alarms blared along with the flashing red lights.

"Kabuto what is going on?" the ever present hissing was still there even at the panic within the surroundings.

"There appears to be intruders my Lord." the silver haired young man bowed to his master as the dark haired man slinked out of his seat and went over to the monitors. They couldn't see anything, the darkness seemed to be playing a part in the intrusion.

"Who are they?"

"We can't see anything!" one guard shouted as another blast sounded from the lower levels.

"The cameras in sectors one through eight have been shot."

"Find them!"

"They're in the restricted sector 4A. The camera just went down."

"Who are these people?"

"How many are there?"

"What are you waiting for?" Orochimaru snarled in frustration as the monitors in front of him went black one by one. "Find them!"

"Orochimaru-sama the alarms in the experimental section has just been set off."

"What's going on out there?" chaos ensued as pounding became prominent. There was something coming, it was something big.

"Experiment 8211 has been released."

"I'm out of here!" one doctor shouted at the information. He was promptly pulled back into his seat operating the computers while Kabuto snarled.

"Stay in your places!" he ordered.

"Kabuto-sama there is nothing we can do! Experiment 8211 is still very volatile, we have not been able to bring any sort of control over it yet."

"Then you have no choice but to die for your mistakes." the pounding grew louder, it was coming closer. "Your incompetence has led to this and you will pay."

"But Kabuto-sama there's still time to escape!"

"Orochimaru-sama we must get to the flight deck, the jet will be waiting."

"Stay here and find out who's doing this. I want to know who I need to kill."

"Yes my Lord."

XoxoxoxoxoxoX

"Slithering away Orochimaru?" he heard the purr echo around him and cursed. Why hadn't he taken Kabuto with him?

"Who are you?"

"I'm hurt Orochi-kun, you don't remember me." whoever it was, they will die for mocking him.

"Show yourself!" he ordered towards the darkness. He hated himself for getting caught in the middle of one of his abandoned laboratories alone and with no way of getting help.

"You must know me," the voice insisted. He whirled around sure that he heard it right by his ear. "After all you were the cause of my suffering." there was a ghost of a touch on his chest and he briefly wondered how come it was so silent. He couldn't hear anything besides the other person's voice and his own labored breathing. Shit he hadn't taken his medications.

"Who are you?" he asked again though he knew it was futile. There was no reason for whoever it was to answer him.

"Can't you recall?" there was a flash of metal and something grazed his cheek.

"You call that aim?" he was losing all chances of escaping. He needed to throw the person our of focus.

"Oh but I hit the perfect spot," his assaulter giggled and there was a prick on the back of his neck his hand automatically reaching only to pull out a senbon.

"What do you want from me?"

"Justice," the voice said after a long moment of silence. Slitted red eyes materialized in front of him seemingly floating through the darkness and he couldn't find the will to tear his gaze away.

"Who are you?" he asked again his voice weak and hypnotized. Strikingly white teeth appeared in a feral grin as the red orbs darkened slightly.

"You don't remember?" the voice was but a mere whisper. "Let me show you." his vision blurred his snake like eyes going out of focus and he stumbled. He regained his balance and looked around he was no longer in his lab.

"Where am I?" it seemed to be a large mansion, he was in the living room sitting on the couch while he watched his men separate males from females. He knew this place, he just couldn't point it out.

"_Hey boss," three of his men entered the fancy looking lounge hauling three young women. He recognized one of them, the blazing red hair and bright green eyes a dead giveaway as to her identity. Well, Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze. "Look what we found." he tore his eyes away from the woman who had a broken arm and multiple cuts on her body to regard his soldier. "Can we play with them?" _

"_Do what you want," he hissed without a care. They were not what he came here for. All he needed was the annihilation of his nemesis. Minato Namikaze would regret the day he took everything from me. He looked away from the unfolding scene ignoring the shouts of protests from the males in the room and the sobs of hopelessness for the women. He looked around and spotted his enemy looking at his wife seemingly broken already and nothing had even happened yet. He wanted to laugh at his expression but forced his face into a stoic mask. It was just the beginning. _

"Do you remember now?" confusion clouded the snake-like man's thoughts. Who was this person who was hell bent on revenge?

"I killed all of them."

"No, not all of them." there was another flash and he could see himself staring at a newspaper.

"_Namikaze-Yamanaka-Senju Purge!" he read the headline. "Early this morning the cops received calls from a concerned neighbor. According to the witness there had been no one to come out of the Namikaze manor since the New Year a week ago. It was widely known that the three clans had been together to spend their holidays but it was unusual that not a single person has emerged from the largely enclosed compound. The police arrived at the scene early Monday morning only to find a most gruesome sight. The manor was littered with dead bodies, the house itself had been ransacked and there was no sign of life within the compound. The Namikaze patriarch was found pinned to the wall in the living room by his wrists, kunai keeping him in place. He was reported to have been tortured and his genitals had been removed. His wife was there as well, reported to have been desecrated with various wounds littering her body. Other members of the family were tied together by gender with execution-style gunshots in the forehead. There was no sign of either of the Namikaze children, twelve year old Narumi and three month old Kyuu."_

"You survived?"

"Your men were sloppy. They didn't check everywhere."

"How?"

"I was hiding in the hallway closet right across the living room." she hissed in his ear. He now knew who his attacker was but found himself to be frozen in the spot.

"What did you do to me?"

"Spider venom."

"The needle."

"Your muscles will slowly and painfully constrict, that includes the ones in your heart."

"Kyuubi it's time to go!" her partner's gruff voice broke through the haze of hate clouding her mind.

"How do you know I won't survive this?"

"You have no idea how much I want to do more to you but I will not stoop to your level."

"We have two minutes!"

"This," something was slipped into his pocket just as his rigid body fell over with a loud thump. "Is something I invented. It's a little something to make sure you don't come back from the dead." he saw the slitted red eyes again just as his lungs seized their movement. His chest constricted with pain as he tried in vain to gather oxygen into his lungs. "Your lungs are gone but your heart still has a few minutes of life." he heard beeping, his eyes moving the only part of his body he could still control. "Goodbye Orochimaru."

"Kyuubi!"

XoxoxoxoxoxoX

"What the hell took you so long?" I asked Wolf as we ran side by side towards the nearest exit.

"Kabuto is as slimy as his bastard of a master but I took care of him."

"Orochimaru will not survive."

"Of course not, I made that poison specifically for him." the alarms sounded around us bringing as back to reality.

"Self-destruct in twenty seconds."

"Deja vu?" I smiled cheekily at him.

"Here we go." our bodies broke through the glass and we landed roughly on the ground.

"Fifteen seconds." I rose to my feet and launched myself forward just as he did, another explosion rocked the area.

"Five seconds to the motorcycle before the bomb 'Nata-chan made will explode," I said to him as we bolted as fast as we could. Just as we reached our bikes there was the unmistakeable sound of a jet's engine. "Hook, line and sinker." I muttered as the flying metal box exploded just as it had lifted off. It set off another round of explosions until the whole building was enclosed with fire and the stone building collapsed on its own weight. There was a roar from within the heated debris before it was abruptly cut off.

"I guess its over now." he took my hand in his as we retrieved our headsets.

"Aniki why are you still ranting?" I asked my elder brother who had apparently not stopped speaking since we left.

"It's over?"

"Yes, it's over." Sasuke answered him just as his own commander's voice came back.

"Report Wolf."

"Mission success. It was nice knowing you command." he said.

"Be careful Sasuke." and I knew he had resigned. I sighed in relief, I too wanted away from the deaths and the fighting.

"We're coming home for a while aniki."

"Hurry up." Itachi-nii obviously didn't hear most of my statement. It didn't matter, Sasuke and I had decided before we went on this mission to start a new life together, somewhere far from all that we've known though we would still visit.

"You ready?"

"Let's go home."

XoxoxoxoxoxoX Epilogue XoxoxoxoxoxoX

"Nee-chan, nee-chan!" Kyuu ran up to laughing as Sasuke playfully ran after him making growling noises as he did. He was already seven years old, two years had passed since I first met my now husband. Two months after we had dealt with Orochimaru we had gotten married after only eight months of our relationship but we'd never been happier. "Help me!" he squealed happily as he was scooped into his brother's arms. "No Sasu-nii!" I could only chuckle at the two.

"Well it seems as if you're already having fun." I turned to meet Itachi-nii, his usual bored drawl and trademark smirk all too familiar for me to miss. He held in his arms his two year old daughter, born only two weeks after the snake's demise.

"'Dei-chan!" Kyuu stumbled out of Sasuke's arms and raised past my elder brother who nearly pouted at being ignored.

"Hello Kyuu-kun!" Deidara-chan was beautiful as always as she held Kyuu's hand. She was blooming and had a glow about her that made me think back on some obvious signs.

"So there's already a little one on the way, am I right?" I whispered just as Sasuke stood beside me, Itachi-nii's eyes widening comically as he did.

"Baby, baby!" Koyuki chanted happily as she raised her arms towards me, giggling softly I took him from his father's arms as Sasuke greeted Dei-chan.

"You're going to be a nee-chan soon, aren't you Yuki-chan?"

"Congratulations," Sasuke kissed my fellow blonde's cheek who in turn blushed rosy at the attention.

"Are you packed and ready to go Kyuu?" aniki asked our younger brother.

"Yes, yes, yes!" the fiery little redhead ran into the house to grab his backpack, no doubt excited to be with the twins yet again.

"You have to consider moving somewhere closer, if only so that Kyuu can be closer to Sasori and Gaara." Itachi-nii told us as he wrapped an arm around Dei-chan, Sasuke merely taking hold of my hand as I still had Koyuki in my arms.

"We'll see aniki, I'm happy where I am right now." I told him as my husband kissed my cheek.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Kyuu came back, his bag bouncing against his back as he ran out of the house, nearly tripping over his feet as he did.

"Alright, we'll go." Deidara-chan laughed merrily as she took Koyuki from me, kissed me on the cheek and then taking hold of Kyuu's hand. "We'll wait by the car." she told her husband and then led the children away.

"At least think about it, okay?" Itachi-nii insisted and I knew he really wanted us nearby. We had all stopped taking missions from the Akatsuki, though we were still honorary members, due to having our families but we kept in contact with our former allies. Itachi-nii and Deidara-nee had moved out of the safehouse two months after Koyuki was born, just a few weeks after Sasuke and I married. My husband and I moved to Ame, a whole day's travel from Konoha to start a new life and we had taken Kyuu with us but we knew he missed the twins and had begun to seriously contemplate on going back.

"We are aniki," Sasuke was the one to reply. "Not now but soon."

"Alright, we better go so we don't end up too late on the road." he embraced his brother before me and then dropped a kiss on top of my head. "Take care of each other." I smiled in reply and watched as they left. Sasuke led me back to the house and into the kitchen where he proceeded to cook our dinner. As I watched him move around I thought of sharing with him the news I had just received.

"Is everything alright love?" his worried voice broke through my musings and I smiled brightly up at him.

"I'm fine," I assured him though he still looked worried, he nodded at me.

"You can tell me anything, you know that right?"

"Yes I know 'Suke-kun."

"But..."

"After dinner, I promise." I told him as he served the food. We ate silently, both lost within our thoughts and cleared the table quickly before getting ready for bed.

"You're unusually quiet," he said by way of explanation as we lay down on the bed. "I thought you would be happy to see aniki, Dei-chan and Yuki-chan."

"I was, I just had something on my mind."

"Would you like to tell me?" I snuggled closer to his chest, revelling in the hand that was running through my hair. I sighed deeply before answering him.

"I'm pregnant 'Suke-kun."

XoxoxoxoxoxoX

Her words rang clearly through his head. Pregnant. She was pregnant with his baby. His child. A son or a daughter? Their baby. She was carrying his heir. They were going to be parents! He was going to be a father! He was going to have a baby. No, he wasn't going to have the baby, she was but then he was the father. He got her pregnant! His wife was carrying their child!

"Sasuke?" her voice cut through his rampaging thoughts and he knew she was worried about how he'll take the news.

"I love you Naru." his voice was husky though alight with happiness as he raised her chin and met her cerulean gaze. "Aishiteru," he repeated before he captured her lips in a searing kiss. Their mouths moved as one, in synchrony and perfect harmony his tongue tracing the seam of her lips to grant him entrance. She gasped in surprise as he gently pushed her down to lay his body on top of hers, Sasuke taking the perfect opportunity to delve his tongue into her wet warm cavern and map out every crevice he could find. "How long?" he asked against her heated skin, teeth nipping gently at the pulse point on her neck, the pale and slender neck offered so freely to him as she moaned loudly.

"Eight weeks." she gasped out as he bit down on the junction between her neck and shoulders, his hands already pulling her shirt up and off. Her back arched as he took a rose bud into his mouth, suckling gently and then forcefully as his fingers danced down her stomach to the waist band of her shorts. _"Sasuke." _slender fingers delved into inky locks as her husband continued to tease her nipples with his tongue, the dark pink pebbles hardening with attention. _"Sasuke, onegai." _he shuddered visibly at the tone of her voice, raising his head enough so he could look in her eyes to find the cerulean orbs he loved clouded with passion and desire.

"Tell me." he ordered, his hands slipping through her shorts to stroke at her already wet core. She bit her lip in response, hips raising in hopes of gaining more friction as she whimpered with want.

"I want you in me," she gasped as he continued to stroke her, looking straight into the dark eyes that seemed to go even darker with lust. "Now." stormy blue eyes fluttered close as he slipped two fingers into her waiting heat. _"Onegai." _her pleas were ignored as Sasuke continued to thrust his fingers into her, his lips peppering her chest with hot open mouthed kisses once more. She could do nothing but feel as he traced a fiery trail down her stomach, his tongue delving into the navel as he passed it. She moaned in disappointment when he took his hand out of her only to moan loudly when he finally took them off. _"Sasuke." _she groaned as he kissed the inside of her thighs while nudging them wider. She nearly screamed in pleasure when he slipped his fingers back into her while his teeth nibbled gently on her nub. Soon she was arching her back and shouting out her climax.

"Aishiteru." Sasuke said once more, smirking down at her as he positioned himself. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss, legs locking around his waist and pulling until he was sinking into her tight sheath.

"Aishiteru dantsuku." she told him as he moaned, loving the feel of her warmth around him. He pulled back slowly and begun thrusting into her, quickly finding her rhythm as he kissed her breathlessly. Slowly their passion built until he was pounding into her with abandon, finger clasped tightly, mouths moving in synchrony as they danced to a tune only they could hear. He tore his lips from hers to whisper her name as he spilled his seed into her womb, her muscles clenching and quivering around him as she climaxed once more. He rocked slowly as they rode out their orgasms, holding his weight with his arms to keep from crushing her he kissed her again before moving to pull out of her. "Stay there, I want to feel you." she told him with another peck and he smiled softly at her request. He rolled them over so that she lay on his chest, still so intimately connected with one another.

"Thank you for giving me such a wonderful gift." he whispered to her smiling as she slowly drifted off.

It was time to start their new life, move on from the old one and forget the horrors they've been through. The baby was a blessing but one thing is for sure, revenge really is a dish best served cold.

* * *

**AN: For the last time in this story,**

**Tell me what you think ne?**

**aLy0:)**


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